In February 2023, Mr H & I joined WWT - The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust - as members and began an ongoing obsession with our local centre in Washington. There are 10 reserves around the UK though our next nearest is about 3 hours away and we're yet to visit any other than Washington.
I'm not complaining though, we adore Washington! Only a 15-minute drive from our house and 5 minutes around the corner from where Mr H works, it's actually unbelievable that such a paradise exists in our area.
I'm not complaining though, we adore Washington! Only a 15-minute drive from our house and 5 minutes around the corner from where Mr H works, it's actually unbelievable that such a paradise exists in our area.
For those who don't know, Washington Wetlands is a nature reserve and wildlife haven established in 1975! Comprising of walk-through collection exhibits, a wild reserve, woodland areas and more, it's set over 103 acres and being members has given us plenty of opportunity to explore pretty much all that is accessible by now.
At this point, we have now been members for 17 months and have been lucky to see the site during every month except August (we do not visit during school holidays). We've witnessed the shifting seasons, the change in the landscape and the variety of visiting species of not only birds but insects too. I am still yet to see any amphibians, which I am sad about!
Something extra special we were lucky to experience was a Bat Evening event where we saw many Common Pipistrelle feeding among the trees and witnessed Daubenton's Bats whooshing over the water's surface in pursuit of their food. It was truly incredible and photos from that night are included in this post.
Obviously, wherever I go my camera goes and it's common for me to take far too many photos. I have previously shared three posts with photos detailing our visits throughout Spring which I have linked below, and this post is my collection of Summer photos!
A Year at WWT Washington
Spring - Part 1
Spring - Part 2
Spring - Part 3
July 19th 2023
5th September 2023
21st September 2023
In 2023 the Summer season was from June 21st to September 23rd. I mention this because most people see 'June, July and August' as Summer which isn't actually accurate.
This post is much shorter than others (well, Spring spanned 4 whole posts!) as we do not go far or do much outside of our home during the Summer months, especially in August with the schools being off. However, I feel I still managed to capture a good range of Summer at Washington Wetlands. From Butterflies and Wildflowers to all of the babies and the bright green that just shouts 'life'!
As these photos are from a year ago, it was lovely to look back on them and compare them to the sights I've experienced the past month or so in real-time. The environment doesn't just change with the seasons but is different each year too. Go support WWT and visit your nearest reserve!
Lovely photos, as always. The otters! The bees in the sunflower! The tiny shrooms! Also nice to see the little glimpse of Penshaw monument. You could see it in the distance from my Nan and Grandad's house in Sunderland when I was little, so that's made me feel nostalgic. I'm also impressed you were able to figure out which bats you saw flying around- they move so fast and look so similar.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! It's such an awesome place.
DeleteOh really?! They must have had a great view.
We were on a guided walk with the some of the staff and they had the bat detectors, depending on the frequency they are calling at you can tell the species! Plus the Daubenton's is known as 'the water bat' and so they were the ones we saw flying over the lake.