The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2003: UK, Northern Ireland

WWD at the Quoile Countryside Centre

The Quoile Countryside Centre celebrated World Wetlands Day with a guided walk along the river to do some birdwatching, painting a Wetlands Mural, and a pond dip for minibeasts in the Quoile Pondage. On our walk, the children were equipped with binoculars and I set up a terrestrial telescope in order to see the mute swans, coots, mallards, tufted ducks, teal, pochard, great crested grebes and widgeon all overwintering at the Quoile National Nature Reserve. Grainne Kielty from Artworks inspired the children to record their walk in a Wetlands Mural which they painted back at the Centre. They all put their coats back on to go for a pond dip along the river at our pond dipping stand. The children caught waterboatmen, leeches, freshwater shrimp, ramshorn snails, water hoglice and flatworms for their efforts. It was an enjoyable day for all involved.

Tracy McCoey
Environmental Educator
Quoile Countryside Centre
5 Quay Road
Downpatrick, N. Ireland BT31 9BQ
+44( 0)28 4461 7435
tracy.mccoey@doeni.gov.uk

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 5 February 2003, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.