Barn owl, teal & lapwing flocks
We are seeing up to 25 teal from Ramsar & Sand Martin hides this week. The lapwing flock numbers were as high as 220, depending on the time of day. Last Thursday the peregrines were at it again, flushing up 118 lapwing from the islands between the two hides when they went over.
A barn owl has been showing around the lapwing hide, sometimes in late afternoon, sometimes by staff early mornings.
Shelducks and shovelers are visible from most hides. The Woodland Loop has had a green woodpecker and a nuthatch as well as tits and chaffinches. A tree creeper was spotted in the Lakes and Forest exhibit.
Mon 23 Dec
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 pochard
Lapwing hide: 1 barn owl
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 23 lapwings, 1 kingfisher, 10 shelducks.
Sun 22 Dec
Wetland Discovery: 3 shovelers, 5 tufted ducks, 3 coots, 20 mallards, 1 blackbird, 1 wren, 1 cormorant
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 1 little egret, 6 shelducks, 32 lapwings, 2 wigeons, 24 teal, 5 shovelers, 1 lesser black-baked gull
Scrape hide: 4 shovelers.
Sat 21 Dec
Wetland Discovery: 1 pochard
Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 31 lapwings, 8 shelducks, 1 little grebe, 25 teal, 7 cackling /barnacle geese
Lakes & Forest exhibit: 1 tree creeper
Woodland Loop: 1 green woodpecker, 1 nuthatch
Lapwing hide: 1 barn owl
Sand martin hide: 3 Egyptian geese, 3 wigeon
Scrape hide: 2 shelducks, 3 shoveler ducks
Arun Riverlife: 1 little egret, 1 grey heron, 35 mallards, 3 coots, 1 black headed gull, 1 herring gull, 4 Canada geese, 2 wood pigeons, 3 carrion crows, 1 moorhen, 1 kingfisher
Fri 20 Dec
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 250 lapwings, 1 snipe, 6 shelducks, 2 pochards, 1 kingfisher, 9 wigeon, 2 Egyptian geese
Woodland Loop: 9 mallards, 3 moorhen, 1 carrion crow, 2 blackbirds, 5 woodpigeons, 4 great tits, 3 chaffinches, 14 blue tits, 2 robins.
Thurs 19 Dec
Arun Riverlife: 1 shelduck, 1 pochard
Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 3 snipe, 2 pochard, 1 kingfisher, 118 lapwing, 2 peregrine, 6 shelducks, 5 wigeons
Scrape hide: 6 shelducks, 1 pochard
Reedbed: 43 mallards, 4 long-tailed tits, 1 chaffinch, 3 blue tits, 1 moorhen, 1 water rail, 1 coot
