WWT Centre at Welney

[pelliott1954]

Hi All,

Has anyone been to the WWT Centre at Welney in Norfolk?

If so can you suggest the best times, area of the site, hides etc.

I would be interested to know a bit more about the place, it is perhaps only about 50 miles for me.

Regards Paul

[Hereford_EOS]

Re: WWT Centre at Welney

Here's a map HERE

I would arrive early (9.30) before the main visitors arrive.
Visitors Information HERE

[M Stewart]

Re: WWT Centre at Welney

Hi All,

Has anyone been to the WWT Centre at Welney in Norfolk?
If so can you suggest the best times, area of the site, hides etc.
I would be interested to know a bit more about the place, it is perhaps only about 50 miles for me.
Regards Paul

Hi, in terms of ease of travel, I regard Welney as the easiest of the WWT sites for me to visit, and I've been there several times. My first visit was a waste of time as I didn't realise that there were fairly large "open to the air" viewing hides either side of the fully glazed Observatory, and I wasn't prepared to shoot through glass, or suffer the noise and hub-hub in the Observatory. So I walked to some of the other very small hides, and found them all fully occupied. Since that visit, I've mainly used the large hide to the north of the Observatory, and have captured many excellent shots.

As I expect you are aware, WWT Welney looks over the Ouse Washes and these normally flood in the Winter allowing excellent conditions for the visiting geese and swans to spend their winter nights in safety taking advantage of the nearby fields on which they graze. (Lots of other species of birds are also recorded at Welney.) Matters haven't been so good recently as the winter flooding didn't take place in 2012 due to the winter drought, and the heavy rain in Spring 2012 swept away nests of waders. The WWT website normally includes mention of whether the local access road is flooded (so that you can decide how to approach WWT Welney), but unless they've taken my suggestion on board, it doesn't say whether the Washes are flooded! - and that's supposed to be one of its selling points.

Some of the best times at Welney are at sundown in the Winter when the swans return to the Washes from their grazing grounds, and I've had some excellent shots of skeins of geese and swans flying in against a setting sun. For more organised shooting opportunities, there's the feeding times when one of the staff shovel feed from a wheelbarrow.

WWT Welney has a Visitor Centre with shop, restaurant and toilets.

The views at WWT Welney are probably more responsible for my buying an EF 500 F4L IS last year than any other site, but thanks to the lack of flooding earlier this year, I've yet to try this long lens there. (300mm isn't really long enough on either FF or an APS-C body.)

On the other side of the Washes, and a few miles SW, there's the RSPB Welches Dam site. Been there once when the Washes were totally flooded, and didn't see one water bird, although the feeder was attracting chaffinches & similar.

[pelliott1954]

Re: WWT Centre at Welney

Thank Stephen and M Stewart for your replies, good info on the hides, thanks very much.

Am taking the Caravan to Sandringham early September so Welney will be a good day out.

Thanks again, Regards Paul