76 Storks fly over

15 August 2024

Staff and visitors were thrilled to watch c76 stork flying over the site in a slow whirling flock. There was little flapping as they seemed to be gliding on the thermals. The flock were over the reserve about 20 minutes, first sighted where the Lapwing hide is located, then meandering high overhead before disappearing over the Offham hangar towards Arundel Castle. Photo: Alec Pelling

The White Stork Project posted online that "...the storks from Knepp Wildling and Cotswold Wildlife Park are on the move! Keep an eye on the sky if you are in Sussex."

More exciting sightings on the reserve recently include a black-tailed godwit seen from the Ramsar hide on 10.08.24 and an osprey flying over the reserve on 11.08.24.

With most of the birds now in moult, the cattle egrets really stand out in their breeding plumage and have been seen taking twigs into the trees near the Sand Martin hide. Whilst there are no nests so far this year, their numbers have been steadily increasing over the past few years and it is only a matter of time until we can record this as a breeding species on site.

The only other bird species still breeding on site is moorhens! They don’t seem to want to stop producing chicks, with new families appearing on ditches and pond edges. No-one seems to have told them that we are in fact approaching autumn!

Wed 14 August

Over the reserve: 2:15 pm a flock of c72 storks overflew the reserve from Arun River Valley across the site and over the far end of the Offham hangar towards Arundel Castle.

Arun Riverlife: 4 gadwall

Pelican Cove: 4 mute swans – a pair with 2 cygnets

Trumpeter pond: 4 female mandarin ducks

Willow screen: 1 female gadwall, 1 female mandarin

Scrape hide: 1 great spotted woodpecker, 5 woodpigeons, 1 blue tit, 11 mallards, 2 pairs of gadwall, 1 cormorant, 1 wren, 2 moorhens, 1 bullfinch, 1 greenfinch, 1 sand martin, 1 mandarin duck, 1 blackbird, 1 coot

Sand Martin hide: 1 little egret, 1 cormorant, 2 grey herons

Tues 13 August

Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 2 grey herons, 15 coots, 3 carrion crows, c20 sand martins, 64 gadwall, 1 cormorant, 16 Canada geese, 3 mallards

Mon 12 August

Wet Grassland: 3 mallards, 1 moorhen, 2 linnet, 1 wood pigeon, 1 carrion crow

Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 76 gadwall, 7 cattle egrets, 1 grey heron.

Sun 11 August

The path between Bewick’s Swan exhibit and Waterside walk: 8 cattle egrets perched on fence rails!

Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 7 cattle egrets in trees next to San martin hide, 1 little egret, c20 sand martins

Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher

Long path ditch: pair of moorhens with 2 new chicks!

End of Reserve: 1 osprey overflying end of Wetland Discover and Wet grassland heading off down Arun River.

Wetland Discovery: 1 wren, 5 mallards, 1 wood pigeon.

Sat 10 August

Arun Riverlife lagoon: 22 mallards, 10 black-headed gulls, 1 moorhen, 3 Canada geese, 5 greylag geese

Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 2 mute swans with 2 cygnets, 7 cormorants, 2 grey herons, 1 clack-tailed godwit, 1 common gull, c20 sand martins

Tranquil trail between Ramsar hide and staff bridge to Wet Grassland: 4 juvenile linnets

Scrape hide: 10 sand martins

Fri 9 August

Woodloop: 7 mallards, 3 mandarin ducks, 2 moorhens and 1 chick, 4 tufted ducks, 2 great tits, 2 blue tits, 2 chaffinches, ,heard 1 great spotted woodpecker,

Ramsar hide; 3 cattle egrets

Scrape hide: 1 great white egret