North West Bird Watching Festival

THIS annual birdfair organised by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust takes place at Martin Mere WWT, Lancashire, on 16-17 October.

The event comprises a range of talks, guided walks, photography workshops, boat tours, ringing demonstrations and more. Exhibitors include birding tour companies, booksellers and optics companies such as Viking Optical, Leica, Kowa, Zeiss and Swarovski.

Open from 8 am, the festival is timed to watch thousands of Pink-footed Geese leave the roost. The centre is open until 7 pm on the Saturday to see the geese return to roost.

Tickets for all speakers and activities are available to collect on the day. Normal admission charges apply.

■ Further details: www.wwt.org.uk/nwbwf