The Nene goose, native of Hawaii was on the brink of extinction with only 30 birds left when their plight came to the attention of Peter Scott.

Our story starts back in the 1950s on Hawaii, with a little goose that was on the verge of extinction. Many years ago, living on a Hawaiian island didn’t involve having to deal with land predators, so the nene evolved as a friendly and inquisitive bird and it’s estimated that 25,000 used to inhabit the islands. But with the arrival of Europeans in 1778 and the introduction of predators like dogs, pigs and mongoose, life changed forever for the curious and trusting nene. Its numbers plummeted and by 1952 there were only 30 left.

Its plight captured the attention of WWT founder, Sir Peter Scott. He was determined not to let the species die out and brought a pair back to Slimbridge.

After a few teething problems (both birds turned out to be female) and the arrival of a gander, one of the greatest conservation success stories began.

In 1962, 35 birds born and raised at Slimbridge arrived in Hawaii to be released back into the wild. They were released across four sites on the main island and one site on Maui. Now, over fifty years since the birds were re-introduced, their numbers are above 2,000. In 2014 the first pair were spotted on a third island, having made their own way there.

It was Sir Peter Scott’s passion, determination and innovative thinking that enabled him to bring a bird back from the brink of extinction in the face of all odds.

Sir Peter Scott was the son of Antarctic explorer Captain Scott who, in his dying letter, urged Peter’s mother to “make the boy interested in natural history”.

Peter particularly loved the wild open marshes of Britain and the mysterious geese that visited from unknown shores. He learned to protect first the birds, and then their wetland habitats.

In 1946 he set up the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge as a centre for science and conservation. Uniquely at the time, he opened it to the public so that anyone could enjoy getting close to nature.

Peter and his family presented the BBC’s first live television wildlife programmes from his artist’s studio overlooking the lakes at Slimbridge, from where he brought a love for the British countryside into millions of homes.

As well as setting up WWT, he became an Olympic sailing medallist and a well-known painter and broadcaster. He created the IUCN red list which measures whether species are threatened or endangered. He was the founding chair of WWF – he even drew their famous panda logo.

WWT flourished during Peter’s life and has continued his life’s work since his death in 1989.

Breakfast was a mixture of buffet style and cooked-to-order with a toast-your-own-toast option. The latter was a little quirky as is often the case. Everything was good quality with the bacon standing out for a special mention; it was perfect in texture and taste.

Fuelled up with breakfast we walked to the nearby Wetlands Centre. It was a delight to hear a cuckoo along the way.

We saw many species of wildfowl and I particularly enjoyed the Dalmatian pelicans, kingfisher and sand martins. We took a trip on an electric boat with a knowledgeable guide who pointed out various wildlife features and creatures along the way as well as imparting lots of interesting information. We walked along the shady board walk and also took advantage of the various hides around the site.

We tried out the various binoculars that were on display before heading off on our return walk to the hotel. I was tempted by a couple of pairs of the binoculars and thought I might go back and purchase a pair.

Back at the hotel we freshened up and had a pre-dinner prosecco in the bar attached to the hotel before dining in the China Place Chinese Restaurant. We opted for one of the set menu meals and were treated with excellent service throughout our meal.

After dining we returned to the Red Lion for a night cap. The live entertainment wasn’t quite so lively as it had been the previous evening.

Whilst Mr C was using the shower the water flow unexpectedly stopped. I was just about to go down to reception to report the issue when the water flow,  just as unexpectedly, started again. Mr C showered quickly before anything else could go wrong. The breakfast menu was comprehensive and cooked to order. I chose items from the meat free breakfast; falafal sausage, flat iron mushroom, hash brown and fried egg. It was delicious.

After breakfast when we got in the car to travel to Castle Rising we noticed that a bird had christened the new windscreen. How rude! Castle Rising has a keep surrounded by massive earthworks. It has been owned by the Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk, since 1544, although English Heritage maintain its upkeep. I gingerly walked along earthwork ridge before entering the keep.

Before going to our next destination, Welney Wetlands Centre, we stopped off at the tearoom near to the castle for elevenses. I settled on a refreshing glass of Elderflower Presse whilst Mr C enjoyed a cup of tea. We chose to sit outside on a garden bench surrounded by trees.

The road to the wetlands centre is long and extremely bumpy. The wetland site differs from the one at Arundel and indeed Slimbridge, both of which I have visited. We saw hardly any birds along the woodland path, although we could hear them. We decided to retrace our steps and visit the hides that were in a different direction. We had seen birds (including Martins close up) from the main hide as we entered the site but the other hides failed to reveal anything. We did see a lone swan walking with an ungainly gate across a dried up wetland area.

As we were leaving we saw more birds at the bird feeder next to the café than we had seen in the rest of the site.  I treated myself to a book on British birds and whilst making my purchase the lady who was serving me said she had had her eye on that book too.

We returned to the hotel where we had refreshments in the hotel bar before dining in the hotel. It was Sunday so a roast was on offer. I chose pork which was delicious but the meal was huge!