WWT Washington

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[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

Thursday 12 March - SITE CLOSED DUE TO WIND
We aim to reopen as usual at 10am on Friday 13 March

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

WWT is no longer posting on X – here's why: https://t.co/nwdGKuF2Oh

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

The Icelandic gull is showing well on Wader Lake today with the herring & black-headed gulls.

A scarce visitor to the NE, Icelandic gulls are great for honing your ID skills. If you visit today & spot a gull with all white wing tips – you’ve spotted a rarity!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

Brrr. Our flamingos are going to be in their house until the ice risk drops. Still lots of gorgeous nature and winter light to enjoy though

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

ℹ️ Windy weather today

Due to the high winds around our site today (Tuesday 31 December), we will be closing our woodland areas to the east and west of our site. Our collection, Wader Lake footpath and the shop and café will remain open.

Thanks for your understanding!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

❗ Centre opening update

We're going to open our visitor centre & inner paths at 11am today (Sun 8 Dec).

We're aiming to open the reserve later today but will confirm once we've checked all is safe for visitors & our team.

Thanks as always for your patience!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

❕ Centre closure - Sat 7 Dec

With strong winds forecast this weekend, we'll be closed on Sat 7 Dec to keep our visitors & team safe. We plan to reopen at 11am on Sun 8 Dec but please check our social media & website before traveling on Sunday.

Thanks for understanding.

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

@shaun_emac @teesbirds1 @Natures_Voice @CanonUKandIE @WildlifeMag Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

There's a male and female mandarin duck pair on our saline lagoon at the moment! @RareBirdAlertUK @DurhamBirdClub

Stock image for reference!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

@DurhamBirdClub @RareBirdAlertUK

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

A great white egret has been spotted on Wader Lake! It was seen coming out of the reed bed and in to the ponds near the heron hedge.

*Stock image until we can a photograph

[Christopher Bill @chris65bill]

A couple of Ruff on the Wader lake feeding in front of the Vic Robins hide @WWTWashington

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

Good morning and welcome to this week's #MondayMindfulMinute. Today we enjoyed a mid-morning mooch around Close Encounters with one of our puna teal!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

Meet the team 👋

We've got a fantastic team here from all different backgrounds and career paths; and we're keen to start introducing them to you properly in the form of 'meet the team' blogs!

So first, let us introduce you to reserve warden Kate 👉 https://t.co/fdAAQfBJNi

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

This migratory bird species is a member of the godwit family and has a black tail. They enjoy larking around in the mud. What's it called? Wrong answers only...

📸 volunteer photographer Ian

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

Right time, right place! Don't you love those moments!

We'd love to see yours!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

ℹ️ REMINDER - CENTRE CLOSED TOMORROW

Just a reminder that we'll be closed tomorrow (Thurs 12 Sept) as we carry out some essential works on our visitor centre, which will leave it inaccessible for the day.

We'll be back open on Friday 13 September. Thanks for your patience.

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

Our reserve team will be working on Wader Lake today, cutting back vegetation around Northumbrian Water hide and the nearby meadow.

This may cause some disturbance to the wildlife on the lake - thanks for your understanding as we carry out this essential work.

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

More from the miniature world as this cucumber spider was spotted chilling on some common hogweed.

Cucumber spiders - named for obvious reasons - are common throughout the UK, often seen in broad daylight using it's vibrant green body to camouflage, while waiting for dinner!

[WWT Washington @WWTWashington]

It's time to say bye to many birds that visit us during summer, & one of our earliest arrivals soon to be leaving is the avocet.

This amber-listed species was once extinct in the UK but are continuing to make a comeback, with breeding numbers in the UK now at around 2000 pairs!