Bird song bonanza, great crested grebe & sand piper

28 April 2023

Lots of bird song in the air from the likes of this sedge warbler and a black cap both captured by Rob Collins on a recent visit.

We’ve had a nightingale on the back of the car park wild area that borders the wet grassland of the Lapwing hide off and on for the past 3-4 days. A great crested grebe has also dropped in for the past two day on the large lagoon between the Ramsar and Sand martin hides.

A sand piper was in on Arun Riverlife on Sunday.

The Wetland Bird Survey on Monday counted 12 lapwing onsite with 8 at the Ramsar hide, a pair at the lapwing hide and one each sighted at Scrape hide and the Arun Rverlife lagoon. The survey showed we have a pair of snip at the Scrape hide and a pair of teal at the Ramsar hide. Survey volunteer Andrew also had two shoveler sightings from the Ramsar and Scrape hides.

27/04/23

Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfishers, 1 pochard, 1 lapwing

Ramsar and San martin hides: 2 oystercatchers, 1 great crested grebe, 1 cattle egret, 1 pochard, 8 lapwing, 25 sand martins

Lapwing hide: 1 lapwing male on right of grassland

Scrape hide: 1 lapwing male, 2 pochard

Reedbed: 2 reed warblers, 3 mallards, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 greenfinch, 2 chiffchaff, 2 mute swans 1 on nest, 2 goldfinches, 2 blue tits, 3 sedge warblers, 2 Canada geese, 2 moorhens, 1 wren

26/04/23

Scrape hide: 2 moorhens, 1 shoveler duck, 1 sedge warbler, 1 greylag goose, 1 chaffinch, 1 gadwall

Sand martin hide: 1 great crested grebe, 5 tufted ducks, 3 teal, 1 oystercatcher, 2 shoveler, 3 sand martins.

Ramsar hide: 2 gadwall, 3 tufted ducks, 11 lapwing

Wetland discovery are: 8 tufted ducks

Lapwing hide: 1 lapwing, 1 grey heron, 2 curlew (flyover on their way up river), nightingale singing

Arun Riverlife: 1 common sandpiper, 1 kingfisher, 2 pochard, 1 oystercatcher, 2 gadwall, 11 tufted ducks, 2 teal, 1 lapwing

Pelican Cove: 2 tufted ducks, 1 pochard, and 1 oystercatcher

All of reserve: 1 peregrine flying over

Trumpeter meadow pond: 3 mandarins

Woodland loop: 1 blackcap, 1 great spotted woodpecker

Willow sphere: 2 gadwall

Scrape hide: 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 wren, 8 Canada geese, 34 black-headed gulls, 1 lapwing, 6 mallards, 1 gadwall, 6 tufted ducks, 1 reed warbler, 1 black cap, 1 chiffchaff, 1 blue tit.

25/04/23

Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher, Ramsar & Sand martin hides: 7 lapwing, 12 greylag geese, 2 Canada geese, 166 black-headed gulls, 10 common gulls, 2 lesser black0backed gulls, 2 coots, 3 gadwall, 1 shoveler, 2 mallards, and 10 sand martins

Lapwing hide: 1 lapwing, 10 sand martins

Scrape hide: 1 lapwing

23/04/23

Arun riverlife: 1 pochard, 4 teal, 1 lapwing

Wetland Discovery Area: 6 mallards, 2 black-headed gull, 4 sedge warblers, 4 Canada geese, 5 tufted ducks, 1 chiffchaff, 1 wren, 4 greylag geese

Ramsar hide: 3 little egrets, c25 sand martins, 7 lesser black-backed gulls, 6 Mediterranean gulls, and 8 lapwing

Lapwing hide: 2 lapwing

Scrape hide: 1 lapwings, 2 teal.

22/04/23

Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 2 mute swans, 18 black-headed gulls, 6 mallards, 1 moorhen, 1 kingfisher, 1 lapwing, 4 teal, 1 pochard, 4 tufted ducks, 3 Canada geese, 1 oystercatcher.

Pelican Cove: 4 pochard, 1 oystercatcher.

Reedswamp exhibit: 3 pochard

Ramsar hide: 6 lapwing