Getting up close to nature

THE vast majority of children view wildlife on television, before they see it in reality. But there’s still something magical about the moment a child sees for the first time an animal up close and which they also love to touch, if possible.

The experience in the recently-opened Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre is that it’s the children that get most enjoyment from seeing the animals and birds. The centre was a busy place when we visited on a rainy day last week, with plenty of families around, paddling on the lake and enjoying the walks that take people through the habitats of birds.

Measuring just over 20 acres and located on the western edge of Tralee, it is in an important area that includes a Natura 2000 site with a diverse range of coastal habitats of national and international importance.