In a two week autumn extravaganza, Bill Oddie and Kate Humble are coming back to the WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre to host BBC Autumnwatch. The live shows will be screened nationally from 5 to 15 November, Monday to Thursday, at 8pm on BBC2.
Bill Oddie and Kate Humble will be at the Centre, part of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, with daily, sunrise-to-sunset reports of the bird migrations at the mere and on the coast nearby. The programme will feature Martin Mere’s Whooper Swan characters with a specially designed ‘Duck Cam’ floating on the mere, the beavers at Martin Mere will be shown with infra-red cameras to see if they make a guest appearance during the live shows and the ‘Super Whoopers’ will be discussed: seven Whooper Swans that have been fitted with satellite tracking equipment currently travelling from Iceland.
Centre Manager, Andy Wooldridge said: “everyone at the Centre is really looking forward to having Bill and Kate back here during Autumnwatch as the programme was so popular last year, averaging at 4 million viewers a night. At this time of year, thousands on Whooper Swans and Pink Footed Geese gather on the reserve to form spectacular feeding flocks; the sound is amazing and will make very good viewing”.
There will be plenty of opportunities for the public to get involved including tours around the ground and daily beaver talks and swan feeds. As part of the BBC’s Breathing Places Campaign to increase wildlife-friendly green space across the UK, Martin Mere Wetland Centre will also be working in partnership with the BBC Radio Lancashire Bus, who will be stationed at the Centre for the duration of the two weeks filming, encouraging the community to make a difference by planting trees at Martin Mere on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November.
Additionally, during Autumnwatch there will be swan feeds everyday at 3pm and 3.30pm, a daily Autumnwatch tour at 1pm and beaver talk at 2pm, and visitors will have access to the studio on Friday 9 November between 10am and 12am with the opportunity to talk to representatives from the BBC. Further details of specific activities at the Centre over this period can be viewed on the website: wwt.org.uk.
WWT Martin Mere is open every day from 9.30am to 5.00pm and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6. The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations. Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit/martinmere/ to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere and the other eight WWT centres.
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