You’re invited to our family day out at South Walney Nature Reserve on Wednesday 28 May. You'll find out what makes our coastal wildlife so special. It's a free drop-in event, from 10am till 4pm, with activities for all the family.

There’ll be a scavenger hunt, guided walks, portable rockpooling, a wildlife photography and art display, craft activities in bird hides, interactive quizzes, information stalls and much more. There’ll be refreshments in the visitor cabin. Booking not required, just turn up on the day.

Bekka Watts, South Walney Assistant Warden with Cumbria Wildlife Trust and event organiser said:

“This is a great chance for us to meet families, visitors and the local community to share our passion for Walney’s wildlife. There promises to be a lot of hands-on fun, from handling the weird and wonderful (snake skins and urchin shells!) to making fat-ball bird feeders.

“It’s also a chance for us to talk about our rare bird populations here on Walney Island and how we protect them. They lay their eggs on the ground which obviously makes them very vulnerable, so you’ll find out about the different methods we use to keep them safe, including decoys, nest cages, trail camera and fake nests. You’ll also get the chance to see if you can spot their cleverly camouflaged eggs in the nest! It’ll be a lot of fun, but underneath there’s an important message we’d love everyone to take away: we can all make a difference and help to keep these precious species safe.”

We're running Operation Seabird in partnership with RSPB, Natural England, National Trust and Lakes Aquarium, and you’ll have the chance to meet people from all these organisations on the day. Please note, only assistance dogs are allowed on the nature reserve.

South Walney Nature Reserve is near Barrow-in-Furness. With stunning views across Morecambe Bay, this shingle island nature reserve is full of interest and a fantastic place for bird watching. In summer you can see nesting gulls, eiders, oystercatchers and ringed plovers. Arctic, little and sandwich terns are summer visitors. It’s also home to the only grey seal colony in Cumbria.