Project Blog

That Was the Year That Was

22 December 2020
Adult black-tailed godwit at the Nene Washes. Photo by Mark Whiffin/RSPB.

The intention with this end-of-year blog was to avoid referencing gloomy current affairs and provide some light distraction for both blogger and reader alike, by picking out some highlights for Project Godwit from 2020. Nevertheless, […]

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Much to write home about…

21 November 2020

The days are getting shorter and colder, the four UK countries have been in and out of lockdowns and tiered restrictions like the hokey cokey, and summer seems like a distant memory. November can feel […]

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Migration – guaranteed to impress

10 October 2020

Anyone who doesn’t have at least some degree of admiration for the feat of bird migration either isn’t aware of the challenges involved or must lack any sense of wonder and imagination. It’s World Migratory […]

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Storms, punctures, a broken bike – all in the name of fundraising

08 September 2020

Conservationists and keen cyclists Jen and Mark Smart may have hung up their cycling helmets, emptied the panniers and given their leg muscles a well-deserved rest after they finished their Funds for Waders cycling fundraiser […]

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600 miles, 8 days, 11 nature reserves, 1 epic challenge!

22 August 2020

Needless to say, lots of plans and dreams this year have been scuppered by the coronavirus pandemic. Conservationists and RSPB staff members Dr Jen Smart and husband Mark Smart had planned to cycle from the […]

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A season of mixed fortunes…

29 July 2020
Sightings map

While the black-tailed godwit breeding season has (sadly) come to an end, some birds may venture over to coastal wetlands around the UK before migrating south to wetland sites in Spain, Portugal and West Africa […]

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Waiting for Godwits

30 June 2020

While many of the project team are either still furloughed or working from home under house arrest, it’s been more challenging for the project this season than anyone could have predicted. As with so many […]

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What does a godwit scientist do in lockdown?

03 June 2020

Our latest blog post is by Mo Verhoeven, RSPB Senior Research Assistant for Project Godwit. On January 14th this year, Jelle Loonstra and I handed in our joint PhD on “The behaviour and ecology of […]

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Up close with Godwits – An interview with Amelia Bennet-Margrave

18 May 2020

In our latest blog, WWT Engagement Officer Jess Owen interviews Amelia Bennet-Margrave who joined Project Godwit’s head-starting team for the 2019 breeding season at WWT Welney as an Assistant Aviculturist. Jess asked Amelia about her […]

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Good godwit news

01 May 2020

It hasn’t been easy for the team at Project Godwit to get a good handle on what the godwits have been up to so far this season, for obvious reasons. When the coronavirus crisis emerged […]

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Headstarting: Hands-on Conservation

22 April 2020

In this latest blog we learn more about head-starting and hear from Senior Conservation Breeding Officer Nicky Hiscock. Project Godwit has a whole host of fascinating people, with years of experience in the conservation field, […]

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Taking Project Godwit into Schools

09 April 2020

Jess Owen, Project Godwit Engagement Officer at WWT Welney, talks about our work to engage local communities. When the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis is over, we look forward to continuing with our engagement work in due […]

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