Get ready, pull on your boots, and fill your senses with the autumn season with a range of events and activities celebrating the unique wetlands and wildlife at WWT Castle Espie.
Every year in Autumn around 25,000 light-bellied brent geese start arriving from their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada, a migration journey of up to 2,000 miles. Approximately 90% of the world’s population descend on Strangford Lough to feed on the nutritious eel grass.
- Join WWT Castle Espie’s annual family event ‘The Big Brent Weekend’ on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th October, celebrate these wonderful birds with talks and walks with wildlife experts and free workshops from art to photography.
- Join guided woodland walks and discover other key look-outs this autumn. Highlights include the heaps of different fungi dotted around the woodland such as smokey bracket and clouded funnel. Listen out for the Jay which can be seen more easily in the autumn as they search for acorns to stash away during the cold months.
- WWT Castle Espie’s Drawn to Water: Quentin Blake at WWT partnership continues with the arrival of a new seasonal trail map featuring Quentin Blake illustrations, influenced by wetlands and nature. Use the illustrated trail map and explore seasonal natural highlights, from quiet spots with breathtaking views to close up wildlife encounters.
- For an in-depth look at artworks from Quentin Blake's personal archive, visit the Drawn to Water exhibition running from October 2023 to February 2024 in the Graffan Gallery.
- Be brave and explore the fun wildlife learning ‘eek! Week’ experience for all the family this October. Follow the interactive trail and discover the mysterious world of wetland nature. Dare to put your hand in a snake box, grab a photo op with a bat or get up close and personal with a toad.
For further details on what’s on at WWT Castle Espie this autumn visit https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie
