Open Menu Open search Martin Mere Experience Wildlife What's on News Schools Plan your visit Please be aware that the building is open for the Santa experience. However Santa is now located in the building rather than the Island due to wind speeds. The reserve and grounds have been closed. Winter birds of prey at WWT Martin Mere 2 NOVEMBER 2021 Share Winter is starting to set in the mere is full of ducks and waders which also attracts a variety of birds of prey. Peregrine falcons are seen most days, they fly really high and the flock of lapwings see them as soon as they arrive and fly up into a swirling flock to confuse the peregrine. Go down to the Janet Kear hide and we have birdfeeders that attract a wide variety of small birds and mammals. A sparrowhawk can often be seen sat in the tree waiting for a rat or mouse to come out or it can be seen darting through the trees trying to catch a blue tit unaware. We had a great year for Marsh Harriers with 3 pairs breeding on site and fledging 4 youngsters, over the winter more marsh harriers come onto the reserve as it’s a great place to hunt and roost in the reedbed, a stunning male has been seen just this week. Look out at dusk as the harriers come into roost and you might see a hen harrier amongst them the males are a stunning grey with a white ring around the base of the tail. While you sit in the United Utilities hide scan the fence posts for a buzzard they can often be seen rain or shine sat looking for a hunting opportunity. Another bird of prey to look out for when you are scanning the fence posts is the merlin they are really small and when they fly they are very direct they know exactly where they are going and they like to fly the quickest way there possible. Kestrels are a stunning orange colour and can often be seen near the Janet Kear hide waiting for a rat or mouse to come out under the birdfeeders. The kestrels hoover keeping their head perfectly still, they can see in infrared, when the mice are running around they pee constantly and this shows up to the kestrels like a trail. A visit to Martin Mere in the winter is an amazing experience and some days you can see 7 species of birds of prey, but I feel just seeing one of these amazing birds is a fantastic experience. For further information, please visit www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere Pictured is a sparrowhawk by Nick Brooks Share this article You might also like View all news WWT Martin Mere launches free school visits 16 NOV 2021 75 year milestone for charity 12 NOV 2021 Whooper Swans now back from Iceland 28 OCT 2021 Address WWT Martin Mere, Fish Lane, Burscough, Lancashire, L40 0TA Email info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk Phone 01704 895181 Contact us Media centre Work with us Follow us on Sign up to stay connected Privacy and cookies Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Limited is a registered charity (1030884 England and Wales, SC039410 Scotland). Registered address: Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, GL2 7BT