News
Snipe, kingfishers and cormorants
Regular snipe sightings especially from the Scrape hide now. There's at least one cormorant and one grey heron between Sand Martin & Ramsar hides. Regular kingfisher sightings continue including at the Lapwing hide. We have been seeing a good array of dra
25 September 2022
Herons, bullfinches and house martins
Reports of kingfishers sightings daily and visitors are still sending in their shots so chances are you'll spot one at the Scrape hide, Arun Riverlife lagoon or on the large lagoon between the Ramsar & Sand martin hides.Looks like the oystercatcher pair n
28 August 2022
Kingfishers fledge & martins move through
The juvenile kingfishers seem to have fledged this week – as a result we have been seeing a lot of kingfisher air traffic at the Sand martin hide and on the Arun Riverlife lagoon. Visitors are reporting 3-4 sightings during their stops in at Sand Marti
18 August 2022
Kingfishers & cattle egrets
The Sand martin hide kingfisher pair are still feeding young, although judging by the size of fish being taken into the nest hole, this second brood should be nearly fledged. The nesting sand martins have all but disappeared, but it was only last month th
11 August 2022
Both kingfisher pairs are trying for second broods
Both pairs of kingfishers have already hatched out youngsters that have left the nest but both pairs are trying for second broods in the nesting banks. Breeding kingfishers are very territorial. When the chicks are grown and can fly they must find t
3 July 2022
Fledglings, dragonflies and butterflies
The hot weather has accelerated the wildflowers onsite. As the cowslip and ragged robin start to disappear, common valerian, various umbellifers and bird’s-foot trefoil appear in abundance, with southern marsh and common spotted orchids flourishing on t
22 June 2022
Oystercatcher chick and juvenile kingfisher
On Sunday Reserve Warden Suzi Lanaway spotted two fledged lapwing chicks with their parents across from the Ramsar hide. This was good news because we hadn’t had a chick sighting for weeks. That isn’t unusual when the vegetation gets tall - it's diffi
9 June 2022
Mandarin ducklings, great egret & sand martin sightings
This week’s highlights include a marsh harrier sighting over the reedbeds at 1pm on Monday. Could they be nesting there? We also had a great white egret in on Wednesday at the Scrape hide. Kingfishers continue to pop in and out of nest hole number 5 on
19 May 2022
Damsels & dragons emerging
Damselflies are starting to emerge in earnest, with large red (pictured), common blue and blue-tailed damselflies flitting about. Hairy dragonflies are also emerging now. Warblers are singing all over the place, including sedge, reed, willow and Cett
12 May 2022
Singing and nesting around the reserve
Sand martins and kingfishers continue to show at the Sand martin hide. A pair of oystercatchers have been frequenting the fresh cobble islands out front (photo).Between Ramsar and Sand martin hides look out for lapwing and chicks, common gulls, Med gulls,
5 May 2022
Lapwing chicks near Ramsar hide
At least three lapwing chicks have hatched out opposite the Ramsar hide – now the adult lapwing's mission is protection. They are mobbing predatory crows or any greylag geese families that wander too close. An adult kingfisher was seen taking a faecal
27 April 2022
Sand martins arriving
Sand martins started filtering through this week. Last Tuesday we saw eight in the late afternoon, four on Thursday and 10 on Good Friday. There are likely more than this moving through –this is just what our wardens counted while working. Warblers si
16 April 2022
Second kingfisher pair nesting onsite
A second pair of kingfishers seem to be nesting in artificial bank of the Sand martin hide. They have beat the sand martins to the space this year but there is plenty of room on the other side of the bank. We should be seeing sand martins moving through s
7 April 2022
Oystercatcher pair about
A pair of oystercatchers are appearing regularly at the Sand martin hide and the old Tundra pen on the corner. They have nested at both sites in previous years so this may be that same pair. Kingfishers have been using the perch in front of the Sand marti
31 March 2022
Great egret & a crowd of cattle egrets
A great egret was back onsite last week making appearances at the Scrap hide through Sunday. Six cattle egrets spent the afternoon on the cobbled island opposite the Ramsar hide on Tuesday afternoon, photographed by volunteer Andy Burns.Kingfishers are s
24 March 2022