One of the bird hides at South Walney was broken into and damaged for the second time in two weeks. It follows an estimated £500-worth of equipment being destroyed at Foulney Island Nature Reserve, two weeks ago.

Paul Waterhouse, Reserves Officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “This is a terrible act of vandalism. Our bird hides are very popular with visitors, who use them to view the amazing seabirds we have at South Walney, or to catch a glimpse of the grey seals that can be seen at high tide. We’re at a loss to understand why anyone would want to trash them in this way. Cupboards and shelves were smashed, leaving the contents of the display cabinets shattered on the floor, with glass everywhere. The door is broken from its hinges and the windows are smashed. It was a real shock to find this when I came into work earlier this week.”

The displays in the hides were made up of artefacts showing the history of the nature reserve and the people who have lived on Walney Island. As well as painted eggs and ceramic birds, the displays included collections of plastic beach litter, colour coded and presented in old-style sweet jars.

Paul continued: “South Walney Nature Reserve is one of our flagship nature reserves and incredibly popular with both young families and more experienced bird watchers. On average it attracts around 10,000 visitors a year who enjoy walking on the footpaths, experiencing the visitor centre and finding out about the amazing wildlife we have here on Walney Island. Nature reserves like this, which are open and accessible to all, have been a lifeline for many people during the difficult years of the pandemic, bringing them closer to nature. It’s very sad that a few people have seen fit to attack them in this way.”

If you would like to help us repair and restore the vandalised bird hide, you can donate here. Thank you.

With stunning views across Morecambe Bay, South Walney Nature Reserve is full of interest and is a fantastic place for bird watching. It’s home to the only grey seal colony in Cumbria. They can be seen at high tide year round at their only haul-out location in Cumbria         

In summer it's a great place to see nesting gulls, eiders, oystercatchers and ringed plovers. Arctic, little and sandwich terns are summer visitors; these agile seabirds can be seen fishing from Sea Hide. Burnet moths and grayling butterflies are on the wing and viper's bugloss, yellow horned poppy and sea lavender are in flower.

South Walney nature reserve is open daily 10am to 5pm. Please note only assistance dogs are allowed on the nature reserve. Entry for members is free/Non-members are charged £3.00 for adults and £1.00 for children – all monies are used to help manage the nature reserve.

We were very grateful to receive a donation of £500 from Furness Building Society, towards recent vandalism at our nature reserves. Thank you very much Furness! Fundraising is ongoing, to repair the damage caused in recent weeks, at South Walney and Foulney Island.