News
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
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
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
Firecrests, gold crests and redwings
Current wildlife highlights include Lapwing numbers now exceeding 100 on the lagoon between the Ramsar and Sand martin hides most mornings. We are seeing shelduck re-appearing in double figures. Up to 10 marsh harriers and small flock of pied wagtails roo
6 December 2023
Kingfisher and winter thrushes
A kingfisher was showing well from the Scrape this past week. It can be spotted around the site. (photos above by visitor Alec Pelling on Sat 25 Nov).Sightings of redwings, mistle thrush, song thrush, goldcrest, firecrest and black caps as well as mixed t
29 November 2023
Late night Christmas Shopping event
Our WWT shop and cafe are open until 8 pm on Dec 8 for relaxed Christmas shopping with lots of sustainable, nature inspired gifts to choose from.
27 November 2023
Teal and lapwing numbers up
We are seeing 20+ teal and 10+ lapwing each morning between the Ramsar hide and the Sand martin hide this past week. The highest count for teal was 27 on Monday; for lapwing, it was 31 last Sunday. There were 2 wigeon onsite on last Friday as well. A
19 November 2023
Marsh Harrier roost at Arundel
In the late afternoons, from late October through February, marsh harriers arrive to roost in the reedbeds at Arundel Wetland Centre. Last year Our Reserve Team counted up to ten marsh harriers arriving to stay overnight in the SSSI reedbed. The best spot
22 October 2023