Cattle egrets & kingfishers

22 August 2023

Cattle egrets were seen regularly from the Ramsar hide last week.

Last year the egrets were photographed by our Reserve Intern Anna Cork as they interacted with the Dexter X cattle we had onsite, relieving them of some of their flies. Keep an eye for similar behaviour with this year’s visiting Highland heifers.

Cattle egrets with last year's Dexter X cattle Photo: WWT Anna Cork

A great egret was onsite last Thursday as well.

The kingfishers young have fledged from the Nesting bank on Arun Riverlife lagoon– most of last week’s kingfisher sightings were from the Scrape hide.

Sun 20 Aug

Riverside walk: 2 common whitethroat

Ramsar hide: 3 cattle egrets, 2 pochard

Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher

Wetland Discovery: 2 mute swans, 2 coots, 4 long-tailed tits

Sat 19 Aug

Arun Riverlife lagoon: 8 coots, 35 mallards, 3 mute swans, 4 black-headed gulls, 1 moorhen

Ramsar hide: 3 cattle egrets

Long path: 3 bullfinches

Fri 18 Aug

Wood Loop: 12 mallards, 5 long-tailed tits, 2 chaffinches, 1 blue tit, 3 great tit, 1 blackbird

Ramsar hide: 1 cattle egret

Thurs 17 Aug

Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher

Ramsar hide: 2 cattle egrets, 2 shoveler ducks, 1 great white egret.

Willow Sphere: 8 mallards, 4 gadwall, 1 robin

Wed 16 Aug

Scrape hide: 1 moorhen, 6 gadwall, 7 mallards, 2 blue tits, 1 kingfisher, 1 blackbird

Sand martin hide: 2 cattle egret, 1 grey wagtail

Tues 15 Aug

Ramsar hide: 1 moorhen, 1 reed warbler, 4 blue tits, 57 black-headed gulls, 7 cattle egrets, 2 goldfinches, 2 mallards, 1 little egret

Lapwing hide: 1 barn owl

Pelican Cove: 3 oystercatchers

Scrape hide: 3 gadwall, 2 teal, 1 white throat, 1 lesser white throat, 3 shovelers

Sand martin hide: 19 greylag geese, 2 Canada geese, 2 tufted ducks, 4 wood pigeons, 5 sand martins, 11 black-headed gulls, 3 moorhens, 3 coots, 3 mallards, 1 Cetti’s warbler

Bewick’s swan exhibit: 1 mandarin duck

Arun Riverlife lagoon: 3 mute swans, 1 kingfisher, 2 gadwall

Pelican Cove: 1 tufted duck

Lakes & Forest exhibit: 1 kingfisher

Wood Loop pond: 3 mandarin ducks

Reedbed: 1 bullfinch

Willow sphere: 4 gadwall