June’s walk of the month: Washington Wetland Centre East Wild Reserve

Start: Washington Wetland Centre

Distance: 1.5 miles

Time: 1 hour

SUGGESTED ROUTE

Exit the centre building at the café end and you’ll first encounter the reserve at the turning behind the children’s play area.

Travel through the fox-proof gates and you’re quickly enveloped by the tree canopy of North Wood overhead. Wander along this shady track until you emerge from the trees and Top Meadow opens out in front of you. Filled with common spotted and Northern marsh orchids, yellow rattle and flitting butterflies on sunny days, there’s seating along the path edges to allow you to pause awhile and just ‘be’.

Carry on to Spring Gill Wood, where the ancient trees were growing long before WWT Washington’s wetlands began thriving around them. Enjoy chattering birdlife overhead and babbling water below. You may even glimpse a roe deer.

Through the woodland to your left is East Down – home to flora and families of hare – and at the bottom of the path stands the oldest tree on site, an ancient oak, thought to be around 300 years old.

Meander along the pathway and down to the dragonfly ponds, where you can climb a small embankment and observe the River Wear curving its way past the site.

Across the path, a series of amphibian ponds begins. Created and maintained by WWT Washington’s team, these crucial water bodies support many frog and newt species, including the protected great crested newt, which breeds on-site.

Head through the next fox-proof gate and find yourself at one end of Wader Lake, where the Window on the Wear viewing area offers a sneak peek at wildlife on this tidal section of the river, including cormorants, European otters and the occasional seal.

From here, you can follow the footpath and end your walk with a visit to one of the waterside bird hides, where you’ll discover easy views of wading birds hatching, raising and defending their young.

Wader Lake forms part of WWT Washington’s wildlife reserve and is flanked by four bird hides, each with its own unique view of the lake and the many different species that live there depending on the time of year. In spring and summer, breeding species including lapwing, avocet, a busy common tern colony and one of the UK’s best heronries mean there’s never a dull wildlife-watching moment

VISIT WASHINGTON WETLAND CENTRE’S WEBSITE

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