Generation Wild: North & South
View of the Pelican lake with Diving Duck aviary at WWT Arundel (can you spot the castle and the nest?)
I’m just back from a brilliant couple of days at WWT Arundel, in the South of England where the team have been amazingly welcoming and the quaint castle town was sparkling in the summer sun.
Lizzy digging foundations with Julian
At just over 2 metres wide, Ava’s giant nest weighs 230kg…. Imagine that dropping out of the sky or appearing overnight. We had to wait until all the public had left for the evening before ensuring the nest could descend on WWT Arundel.
By the following morning visitors were already asking “is it a coracle?” and “can I get inside?” Thankfully it passed H&S inspection so they could indeed clamber in for a picture, even though Ava wasn’t anywhere to be seen. According to our story, her coming has been foretold in a legend by the Guardians of the Wild, who are a great council of animals that meet in West Africa.
She’s going to be performing next to the new Pelican aviary, which means she might have some serious competition for audiences’ attention! Luckily her puppeteer, learning manager Lizzy Pearce is as gregarious as they come, exuding enthusiasm which had me bubbling over with infectious excitement. I’m pretty sure Ava will settle in well here!
WWT Arundel is referred to as one of the smaller WWT sites, but its grounds are quite spacious and feel utterly enclosed with 6ft high reeds and lush meadows adorning the well-kept paths. Its proximity to the town and boating lake will hopefully make it easy for Generation Wild families to attend. Plus, the spirit of imagination lingers in the air as the castle keeps watch on the hill above!
Lizzy with Ava the puppet
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Barney was striking out to the north, up to WWT Washington, near Newcastle to oversee the nest and listening posts installed there. That one was a crack of dawn install, before the site opened to the public and saw the whole crew digging holes to get the 10 posts in the ground in time. Thank goodness the cafe is well stocked with pasties after all that digging!
Learning manager Joanne Newbury was just as happy to meet Ava up north and yet again, she’s an instant hit and crowd-pleaser. It’s so interesting to see how every person she meets draws something slightly different out of Ava - she’s coming more and more into her own with every place she goes and every person she meets. We can’t wait for her to start meeting school groups in September!