Breeding species on the reserve include cormorants, redshanks, lapwing, teal, nightingale, sedge warbler, kestrels, kingfishers, grey herons, and, in recent years, osprey.
The visitor centre has a gift shop and education centre, as well as an exhibition area and interactive displays aimed at providing education to adults and children about the area. During the summer there are informational displays about the Osprey Project, aimed at reintroducing ospreys to the Rutland Water area.
The Birdwatching Centre is home to the immensely popular annual birdwatching festival known as the British Birdwatching Fair (BirdFest), which usually runs in late August. BirdFest is organised by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust with RSPB and is billed as the first and largest birdwatching fair in the world.
The Anglian Water Birdwatching centre is open throughout the year. Current opening times are 9:00am to 5:00pm (4:00pm November - April), but please check with the official website before visiting. A fee applies to visit the reserve. There is another visitor centre just a couple of miles away at the Lyndon Hill Nature Reserve.