Winter Wildlife at Martin Mere near Southport

As the months get colder, WWT Martin Mere is joined by thousands of wintering ducks, swans, geese and waders, which create a fantastic winter spectacle. There is lots that nature has to offer in the winter period as we are joined by some much-loved species, such as pink-footed geese, wigeons and whooper swans. So grab your coat and a hot drink and experience winter at Martin Mere!

We are seeing a steady increase in whooper swans, with over 400 on our reserve as they join us from Iceland. The swans join us each year and usually arrive in large numbers in the first half of November and build peak in January and February as they temporarily call Martin Mere home. To celebrate their arrival, we host several Floodlit Swan evenings in January for visitors to get exclusive access to Raines Observatory and see the beautiful view of up to 2,000 whooper swans.

Similarly to the whooper swans, the pink-footed geese also arrive from Iceland to spend winter in the UK. They usually arrive earlier in September and use Martin Mere as a refuelling point before heading down south. During the day, the geese will visit nearby farmers' fields to stock up on food before returning to roost on the mere. As they fly over to return to the mere, they create a breathtaking sight and unmissable sound.

The reserve is also filled with ducks such as shelduck, pintail and wigeon. These ducks fill the reserve with colour and the wigeon is a particularly beautiful species with a pink chest, red head and a bright yellow mohican.

You may also see other species of birds such as lapwing, black-tailed godwit, snipe and ruff. Martin Mere is one of the best places in England to see ruff during the winter!

A great way to witness our wintering birds is by attending our daily wild bird feeds. Each day at 3pm in the Discovery Hide, and 3:30pm in the Raines Observatory, watch as thousands of birds gather outside the hides and listen to live commentary from a warden to learn about key species and their journey to Martin Mere.

While visiting us, you can also browse our exciting new range of items in our shop just in time for Christmas, or have a delicious meal and hot drink in our Mere Side Café