Arundel Wetland Centre


I had the great good fortune to visit the Arundel Wetland Centre yesterday. As a prairie dweller, I was amazed by the huge network of ponds and canals. Even more astonishing, the ponds were lined on either side with reeds that towered over my head.







The array of ducks and geese was astonishing – geese elegantly dressed in black and white, small ducks with downy soft feathers, geese with long necks wrapped in swirling stripes. Each pond was designed to suit a different type of waterfowl so there were some with waterfalls and others with large rocks and ledges.





The site doesn’t just cater for waterfowl. There were boxes for bats and barn owls as well as insect hotels and big stacks of branches providing shelter for all sorts of animals. There were birdwatching hides and a cabin full of dried herbs to touch and smell.



The best part of the visit was a silent electric boat ride through the canals providing a duck’s-eye view of their world.


There were wonderful reflections in the water, and the late afternoon sunlight bathed everything it touched with gold. The cafeteria has an enormous window overlooking one of the ponds so you’re never far away from the birds.



Thank you, Marilyn, for a wonderful visit. And thank you, Peggy, for introducing us.

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