A little stint has been spotted on Wader Lake. We’ll try and get a photo to share later. Very exciting! Durham Bird Club RareBirdAlertUK

Autumn migration sees a variety of bird species stopping by our wild reserve. Red-listed ruff are one of these visitors, flying in to rest and refuel on their journey to Africa for winter. Lots of visitors have spotted them over the last few days - we'd love to see your photos!

It's time to say bye to many birds that visit us during summer, & one of our earliest arrivals soon to be leaving is the avocet. This amber-listed species was once extinct in the UK but are continuing to make a comeback, with breeding numbers in the UK now at around 2000 pairs!

More from the miniature world as this cucumber spider was spotted chilling on some common hogweed. Cucumber spiders - named for obvious reasons - are common throughout the UK, often seen in broad daylight using it's vibrant green body to camouflage, while waiting for dinner!

Our reserve team will be working on Wader Lake today, cutting back vegetation around Northumbrian Water hide and the nearby meadow. This may cause some disturbance to the wildlife on the lake - thanks for your understanding as we carry out this essential work.

ℹ️ REMINDER - CENTRE CLOSED TOMORROW Just a reminder that we'll be closed tomorrow (Thurs 12 Sept) as we carry out some essential works on our visitor centre, which will leave it inaccessible for the day. We'll be back open on Friday 13 September. Thanks for your patience.

Right time, right place! Don't you love those moments! We'd love to see yours!

This migratory bird species is a member of the godwit family and has a black tail. They enjoy larking around in the mud. What's it called? Wrong answers only... 📸 volunteer photographer Ian

Meet the team 👋 We've got a fantastic team here from all different backgrounds and career paths; and we're keen to start introducing them to you properly in the form of 'meet the team' blogs! So first, let us introduce you to reserve warden Kate 👉 bit.ly/wa-meet-Kate

Good morning and welcome to this week's #MondayMindfulMinute. Today we enjoyed a mid-morning mooch around Close Encounters with one of our puna teal!

A couple of Ruff on the Wader lake feeding in front of the Vic Robins hide WWT Washington

There's a male and female mandarin duck pair on our saline lagoon at the moment! RareBirdAlertUK Durham Bird Club Stock image for reference!

❕ Centre closure - Sat 7 Dec With strong winds forecast this weekend, we'll be closed on Sat 7 Dec to keep our visitors & team safe. We plan to reopen at 11am on Sun 8 Dec but please check our social media & website before traveling on Sunday. Thanks for understanding.

❗ Centre opening update We're going to open our visitor centre & inner paths at 11am today (Sun 8 Dec). We're aiming to open the reserve later today but will confirm once we've checked all is safe for visitors & our team. Thanks as always for your patience!

ℹ️ Windy weather today Due to the high winds around our site today (Tuesday 31 December), we will be closing our woodland areas to the east and west of our site. Our collection, Wader Lake footpath and the shop and café will remain open. Thanks for your understanding!

Brrr. Our flamingos are going to be in their house until the ice risk drops. Still lots of gorgeous nature and winter light to enjoy though

The Icelandic gull is showing well on Wader Lake today with the herring & black-headed gulls. A scarce visitor to the NE, Icelandic gulls are great for honing your ID skills. If you visit today & spot a gull with all white wing tips – you’ve spotted a rarity!

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