News

Nifty noon fly

Nifty noon fly

Why are we featuring a fly and where are the cattle?

24 October 2024

Egrets and Marsh Harriers

Egrets and Marsh Harriers

This week we have had two marsh harrier sightings and this Sunday the Reserve Team will begins their autumn/winter monthly harrier surveys for 24/25.

17 October 2024

Cattle egret chicks

Cattle egret chicks

While checking the Cattle Egret nests last week, the Reserve Team saw that there were seven nests. All chicks are now fledged and exercising their wings in the trees.

9 October 2024

House martin flocks moving through

House martin flocks moving through

Small flocks of 30-100 house martins have been moving through the reserve since last Friday. There may be a few sand martins and swallows mixed in but the flocks are primarily made up of house martins. Great egrets are still onsite - one seems to be in b

2 October 2024

Little grebe & great white egret

Little grebe & great white egret

On Sunday our Reserve Manager Suzi spotted a little grebe on the water from the Scrape hide.

24 September 2024

Egrets and  an Eagle

Egrets and an Eagle

Egrets, egrets, egrets! Great white, little, and cattle!

18 September 2024

Kingfishers and Cattle egret chicks

Kingfishers and Cattle egret chicks

It was an exciting week with our confirmation of cattle egret chicks last weekend. We had watched them carrying sticks into the heavily treed area between Ramsar and Sand Martin hides in August. It was still their breeding season (which stretches to Octob

12 September 2024

Gadwall and teal numbers up

Gadwall and teal numbers up

Gadwall numbers are increasing for autumn with a top numbers of 110 gadwall on the large lagoon between Ramsar & Sand martin hides in the morning. Kingfisher sightings all week at Scrape hide, Ramsar hide and lapwing hide. We had a kestrel onsite on Satu

4 September 2024

Great egret onsite this week

Great egret onsite this week

A great egret appeared onsite on August 19 and has been roosting onsite. Our wardens spotted the great egret roosting in the tree between the Ramsar & Sand Martin along with 12 cattle egret in the late afternoon of August 24. Regular visitor Mike Jerome t

27 August 2024

76 Storks fly over

76 Storks fly over

Staff and visitors were thrilled to watch c76 stork flying over the site in a slow whirling flock. There was little flapping as they seemed to be gliding on the thermals. The flock were over the reserve about 20 minutes, first sighted where the Lapwing hi

15 August 2024

Trio of kingfishers fledge

Trio of kingfishers fledge

Three juvenile kingfishers were spotted and two were photographed by regular visitor Mike Jerome on Sat 3 August. This is the second brood from the pair that nested in hole #5 in the bank on the Arun Riverlife lagoon this year. These youngsters still have

6 August 2024

Wildflower peak and cattle egrets

Wildflower peak and cattle egrets

The fabulous display of wildflowers this month include meadow cranesbill, purple loosestrife, great burnet, bird’s-foot trefoil, meadow vetchling, tufted vetch, black knapweed and hemp agrimony. Meadowsweet is growing in abundance across the reserve

25 July 2024

Kingfishers & cattle egrets

Kingfishers & cattle egrets

Plenty of kingfisher comings and goings around nest box hole #5. Cattle egrets still in breeding plumage around Ramsar hide.

17 July 2024

National Dragonfly Week

National Dragonfly Week

It's National Dragonfly week July 6-14th!

11 July 2024

Emerging toadlets

Emerging toadlets

Watch your feet! During warm, damp weather at this time of year tiny toadlets emerge from the ponds at WWT Arundel and onto the pathways to begin life outside the water. Toadlets are the same colour as the dirt, asphalt and pavement they are on, so we're

9 July 2024