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All the United Kingdom England London WWT London Wetland Centre

WWT London Wetland Centre

London's marvelous wildfowl reserve along the Thames.

London, England

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Mictlān Tēcutli
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Rain Garden at the London Wetland Centre.   Marathon/cc by-sa 2.0
The Wetland Centre entrance.   Diliff/cc by-sa 3.0
A Puna teal duck, a species native to Bolivia and Peru.   Tony Hisgett/cc by 2.0
A combed duck, a species native to South America.   James Petts/cc by-sa 2.0
A statue of WWT founder Peter Scott.   M J Richardson/cc by-sa 2.0
An Asian short-clawed otter.   Tony Hisgett/cc by 2.0
A black swan at WWT, a species from Australia.   James Petts/cc by-sa 2.0
The visitor centre building.   Jeff Reuben/cc by-sa 4.0
A black-necked swan, a South American species.   Patche99z/cc by-sa 3.0
The approach to the entrance to the WWT London Wetland Centre.   M J Richardson/cc by-sa 2.0
A view of one of the wetland marshes.   Patche99z/cc by-sa 3.0
A Hawaiian nēnē goose, an endangered species saved from extinction by Peter Scott.   Tony Hisgett/cc by 2.0
A Radjah shelduck, a species native to Australia and New Guinea.   James Petts/cc by-sa 2.0
Captive Demoisselle cranes, a species native to central Europe.   Radek Ostojski/cc by-sa 4.0
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About

Opened in 2001 along four Victorian-era reservoirs on the Thames, this wetland reserve has since become one of the most popular green spaces in London, offering a place to get away from the stress of the city to engage with the natural world.

The WWT (Wildfowl and Wetland Trust) of London repurposed the disused reservoirs as a nature reserve landscaped specifically for wildfowl and other wetland animals. Visitors can observe a variety of native wild bird species, such as kingfishers, woodpeckers, sparrowhawks, grebes, ducks, swans, and lapwings. Harder (although not impossible) to see are rare bird species such as the bittern and water rail, and mammals like the water vole. 

Some exotic wildfowl are also kept at the reserve in spacious and well-planted enclosures for captive breeding, including many species of cranes, ducks, geese, and swans native to South America, Asia, Australia, and other parts of the world. Along with the birds there's a pair of captive Asian short-clawed otters, which are entertaining to watch as they frolic around their enclosure. 

The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist and conservationist Sir Peter Scott, the son of the famous and ill-fated polar explorer Captain Robert Scott. The younger Scott had been an avid hunter of wildfowl during his youth, but his enthusiasm for hunting was to change in the 1930s after witnessing an injured greylag goose that he had shot and wounded during a hunting trip. Scott was apparently so moved by the suffering of this bird that he hung up his gun and became a conservationist, using the fortune he had inherited to create several reserves and captive breeding centers open to the public during the late 1940s and '50s. He was later to become one of the founders of the famous World Wide Fund for Nature.

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Conservation Reservoir Rivers Wildlife Sanctuaries Wildlife Birds Environment Animals

Know Before You Go

The WWT London Wetland Centre is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day except Christmas Day. The entrance fee is £13 for adults and £8.70 for children. The center can be reached by public transport by taking the train at Waterloo station to Barnes rail station. From Barnes, the reserve is just a 10-minutes walk away.

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  • Meg

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January 23, 2019

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WWT London Wetland Centre
Queen Elizabeth's Walk
London, England
United Kingdom
51.476541, -0.235468
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