WWT Martin Mere is a
wetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater,...
nature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
managed by the
Wildfowl and Wetlands TrustThe Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust is a wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Queen Elizabeth II.It was founded in 1947 by the ornithologist and artist Sir Peter Scott, initially as the Severn Wildfowl Trust...
at
BurscoughBurscough is a village and civil parish within West Lancashire, in North West England, to the north of both Ormskirk and Skelmersdale.-Growth:...
,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on the
West Lancashire Coastal PlainThe West Lancashire Coastal Plain is a large area in the south west of Lancashire, England.The plain stretches from the Rimrose Valley in Seaforth, near Liverpool on the Mersey, to the south, to Preston on the Ribble, to the north. To the east, the plain is bounded by the foothills of the Pennines,...
, from
OrmskirkOrmskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
and from
SouthportSouthport is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. The town is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the north of Liverpool and west-southwest of Preston...
(
MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. Taking its name from the River Mersey, Merseyside came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974, after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, and the county consists of five metropolitan...
). It is one of nine reserves managed by the
charityA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . The term is relatively general and can technically refer to a public charity or a private foundation. It differs from other types of NPOs in that its focus is centered around goals of a general philanthropic nature A charitable...
, and it is designated an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), an
SPAA Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds. Together with special areas of...
(Special Protection Area) and a Ramsar Site.
The name of the centre comes from
the mereMartin Mere is a mere near Burscough, Lancashire, England on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around grid reference that, until it was drained, was the largest body of fresh water in England....
on the west side of the reserve which is ringed by 11 observation hides. On the east side of the reserve there are a number of pens providing
habitatsA habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular animal and plant species...
for birds from
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
,
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
,
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
,
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
,
SiberiaSiberia , is the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the USSR from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the...
, and
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
.
Martin Mere has its own "
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
", listing (for 2002) 517
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
plantPlants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The scientific study of plants, known as botany, has identified about 350,000 extant species of plants, defined as seed plants,...
, 287 species of
fungusA fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. The Fungi are classified as a kingdom that is separate from plants, animals and bacteria...
and 1,368 species of
invertebrateAn invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column. The group includes 95% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata ....
. 284 species of
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
have passed through the reserve, as well as 28 species of
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
and 19 species of
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
.
This reserve is at its best in winter, attracting huge flocks of
pink-footed geeseThe Pink-footed Goose is a goose which breeds in eastern Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard. It is migratory, wintering in northwest Europe, especially Great Britain, the Netherlands, and western Denmark...
and
wigeonThe Wigeon or Eurasian Wigeon is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is common and widespread within its range...
, many
whooper swanThe Whooper Swan is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American Trumpeter Swan.-Description:The Whooper Swan is similar in appearance to the Bewick's Swan...
s and occasional rarer
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s such as the
snow gooseThe Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
.
It is also excellent for wintering
birds of preyBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh. In most cases,...
such as
hen harrierThe Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a disused name for the American form.It migrates to...
,
peregrineThe Peregrine Falcon , also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
and
merlinThe Merlin is a smallish falcon that breeds in northern North America, Europe and Asia. In North America it was once and sometimes still is colloquially called "pigeon hawk" though it is not very closely related to true hawks....
.
The BBC television programme Autumnwatch was broadcast live from Martin Mere in 2006 and 2007.
History
The first , known as Holcroft's Farm, were purchased in 1972 through local fundraising. The first curator of the site was
Peter GladstonePeter Gladstone was a British naturalist and wildfowl expert. He was the great grandson of the Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone, and brother of Sir William Gladstone, 7th Baronet. He grew up at Hawarden Castle in Wales, and attended Eton College, where his father, Charles Gladstone,...
, great grandson of William Gladstone. The site was opened to the public in 1975 by Sir
Peter ScottSir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC, FRS, FZS, was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer and sportsman.-Early life:...
.
External links