News
Camouflaged Snipe, Scraping Lapwings and arriving Oystercatchers
It has been great to see so many snipe back in the fen cut in front of the Ramsar hide this past week! A male kingfisher has been investigating the nesting holes on Kingfisher bank on Arun Riverlife, a pair were spotted feeding at Scrape hide Tuesday.
21 February 2024
Bittern was back on World Wetlands Day
A bittern flew across the reedbed channel in front of a boat safari trip on Fri 2 Feb - World Wetlands day - giving some of our visitors a real treat! We had our first oystercatcher of the season, spotted between Ramsar and Sand martin hides on Tues 6
7 February 2024
Toad Patrol!
Prowling Mill Road at night, protecting the small and vulnerable - its Arundel Wetland Centre's Toad Patrol!Milder, damp weather from late January to early March signals to common toads that it's migration time in Sussex. Sadly, this can put them in dang
31 January 2024
Lapwing, bitterns and a sea eagle
Our onsite bittern sightings from the Scrape hide peaked on Friday 19 January when a Reserve Warden spotted two bitterns, within just minutes of each other on opposite side of the reedbed there.A sea eagle (also known as a white tailed eagle) was spotted
24 January 2024
National Nest Box week is Feb 14-21
Love birds? National Nest Box week starts on Valentine’s Day, 14 Feb and runs through Feb 21.Show your garden birds some love by putting up a new nest box in any outdoor space you have! Attracting birds to your green space is an easy way to connect wit
23 January 2024
Bittern onsite
A bittern has been spotted regularly from the Scrape hide over the past week!The bittern was first spotted by reserve staff and a regular visitor last Fri 12 Jan. It has been seen at least once a day. It took to the air on Sat 13 Jan and was snapped by v
17 January 2024
Caring for our birds in winter
Arundel Wetland Centre has 8 wildlife hides overlooking lagoons and ponds full of UK wildlife. We are also home to 30 species of ducks and geese from around world. With the recent cold weather and more forecast, we often get asked how we care for our bird
11 January 2024
Winter working on the Reserve
Our Reserve team are even busier in winter managing habitats for breeding birds in springtime.
11 January 2024
Hen harriers in the late afternoon roost
We had visitors tell us they had seen hen harriers from the Scrape hide during the afternoon roost on the weekend. Our Reserve team knows there are three female hen harriers in the Arun Valley this winter but had no staff confirmed sightings of the birds
11 January 2024
Bewick's swans and Snipe
Five Bewick's swans were spotted on the Burpham loop, across the Arun River from the reserve, on Saturday 30 Dec. It great to have some swans in the Arun Valley again this winter. If we see any low temperatures that freezes ponds the swans could come into
2 January 2024
Wetlands for wellbeing
Spending time in nature, especially around water, has been shown to reduce stress, enhance mood and reduce negative thoughts. Research by the Mental Health Foundation reports 65% of people say that being near water is their favourite part of nature and
24 December 2023
Snipe upswing, plus a kestrel
Lots of snipe about – our count showed 27 on Tuesday morning between the Ramsar and Sand Martin hide. On Sunday we spotted a kestrel hunting in front of Reedbed hide. Kingfisher has been showing at the Scrape hide and between Ramsar and Sand Martin hide
20 December 2023
Barn owl & little grebes
Lovely little grebes are been spotted on Arun Riverlife lagoon and on Pelican cove. From the Discovery hide on Arun Riverlife look for them down and to the left, along the shrubs at the water's edge. We are seeing a barn owl occasionally when we walk a
13 December 2023
WWT Arundel wins a Silver Award for Accessible & Inclusive Tourism
WWT Arundel Wetland Centre are very proud to have won the Silver Award for Accessible & Inclusive Tourism at the Beautiful South Tourism Awards! These prestigious awards that celebrate the outstanding achievements of tourism businesses and experiences acr
13 December 2023
Record number of Sand martin nests at Arundel Wetland Centre
A record 17 sand martin nests were found in the left wing of the special nesting banks built into the Sand Martin hide during the annual checks at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre on Thurs 30 November. WWT Arundel’s Reserve team has only been able to chec
9 December 2023