Have a Great Day out at the North West Bird Watching Festival at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre

By Philpickin @philpickin
Tim Birkhead, Lloyd Buck and Flight of the Swans' Sacha Dench are just some of the guest speakers visiting WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Lancashire, for the annual birding extravaganza, the North West Bird Watching Festival on Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 November
Whether you’re beginner or experienced birdwatchers, photographers or you just love the outdoors, there is something for everyone at this event. 

You can attend a range of wildlife talks by well known speakers; have exclusive access to hundreds of Whooper swans feeding alongside shelduck, teal, wigeon and Pink-footed geese; pick up tips from nature photography workshops; network with experts; browse wildlife and bird watching goodies; and round your day off with some delicious homemade cake at the Mere Side Cafe.
Highlights at the Bird Watching Festival at WWT Martin Mere include:·  Having access to the reserve from 8am, offering you the chance to watch and photograph tens of thousands of pink-footed geese and Whooper swans as they awake and leave their roost·  Seeing the award winning spectacle of up to a thousand Whooper swans feeding right in front of them on the mere, as well as thousands of shelduck, wigeon and teal, at 3pm from the new 50m Discovery hide which also includes a warden’s talk.·  Access to free ringing demonstration workshops allowing you to get up close to some wonderful species ·  Walking with Reserve Manager Tom Clare to find the top ten species at Martin Mere at this time of year·  Testing your bird watching skills by seeing who can spot the most species at Martin Mere between 9.30 – 3.30 on Saturday 12 November to win prizes. 
If you are interested in attending the Bird Watching Festival as a group we can reserve tickets for the talks in advance. Please contact 01704 895181 or email groups.martinmere@wwt.org.ukfor further details.
For further event information, workshop bookings and a detailed list of exhibitors, please visit: www.wwt.org.uk/nwbf
WWT Martin Mere is open for this event from 9.30am to 4.30pm and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6.  The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations.  Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere/ to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere.