WWT wetland centres Caerlaverock, Martin Mere and Welney are all sites of international importance for whooper swans, and you can see Icelandic breeding swans at close quarters at each of these centres during the winter months.
WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, in Dumfriesshire in Scotland, is a place where the wild world still has the power to touch, thrill and inspire. Situated on the north shore of the Solway, the 1,400 acre wild reserve comprises of cattle grazed grasslands and merse (saltmarsh).
Around 300 whooper swans fly in from Iceland to the reserve from October through to April. Visitors can observe the swans at the daily wild whooper swan spectacular held during the same period.
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, based in Lancashire, is home to internationally important numbers of ducks, geese and swans. During winter, these wonderful birds gather to form spectacular feeding flocks on seasonally flooded wetlands which enjoy SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)/SPA (Special Protection Area) and Ramsar status.
During the winter season, around 1,500 wintering whooper swans fly into the reserve. These can be seen at the daily swan feeds from the Swan Link Hide and Raines Observatory between October and April.
WWT Welney Wetland Centre is home to 1,000 acres of impressive wetland. It also has the Ouse Washes surrounding it, which form the largest area of washland in the UK. This spectacular reserve, with its eco-friendly features and new visitor centre is a flagship of sustainable living.
Approximately 3,000 whooper swans visit Welney every winter. Daily swan feeds between October and March enable people to see these visitors at close quarters.
For more information on all three of these centres, alongside our other six centres, please visit wwt.org.uk
Iceland is a sparsely populated North Atlantic island close to the Arctic Circle. It is one of the most volcanically active countries in the world, and is famous for its hot springs, geysers and whooper swans. Five-sixths of Iceland is uninhabited, the population being concentrated on the coast, in the valleys and in the plains of the southeast and southwest of the country. More than half of the population lives in or around Reykjavik, the capital. Iceland's highest and most extensive glacier is Vatnaj
