the mere on the west side of the reserve which is ringed by more than ten observation hides. On the east side of the reserve there are a number of pens providing
habitats
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
for birds from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...
,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
,
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
,
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
, and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
.
Martin Mere has its own "
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
", listing (for 2002)
nationally important species of wildlife found at the reserve, other than birds include the whorled caraway (''
Carum verticillatum ''), at its only site in England away from the southwest, and the regionally scarce water dropwort (''
Oenanthe fistulosa'').
Another sign of the sites importance for biodiversity is the recording of the first records of the
micromoth, the marsh dowd (''
Blastobasis rebeli''), for northern England.
This reserve is at its best in winter, attracting huge flocks of
pink-footed geese
The pink-footed goose (''Anser brachyrhynchus'') is a goose which breeds in eastern Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard. It is migratory, wintering in northwest Europe, especially Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and western Denmark. ...
and
Eurasian wigeon, many
whooper swan
The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type speci ...
s and occasional rarer
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s such as the
snow goose. It is also excellent for wintering
birds of prey such as
hen harrier
The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl.
It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...
,
peregrine and
merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and leg ...
.
The BBC television programme
Autumnwatch
''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom. The p ...
was broadcast live from Martin Mere in 2006 and 2007.
History
Martin Mere was initially opened to members of the Wildfowl Trust in late 1974 and then in March 1975 it was opened to the general public. The reserve and centre were the concept of haulage contractor, Ronnie Barker, who was a friend of Sir
Peter Scott. Barker was aware that both pink footed geese and Bewick's swans roosted at Martin Mere and was able to arrange a meeting between Sir Peter and the then landowner, this resulted in Sir Peter buying for £52,000.
The first warden of the reserve was Peter Gladstone (1928–2000).
See also
*
Burscough
Burscough () is a town and civil parish in West Lancashire in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is located to the north of Ormskirk and northwest of Skelmersdale.
The parish also includes the hamlet of Tarlscough and the Marti ...
*
Martin Mere
References
*
External links
Official site
{{Wetlands
Birdwatching sites in England
Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Nature centres in England
Burscough