Common tern & fledging sand martins
After playing common tern calls from the Sand Martin Hide for the past ten weeks, there is finally some interest!
We have not had common terns on site since 2014, but one has been turning up fairly regularly in the past few weeks, wondering where the others are! The common tern was photographed July 7 by Dave Newbury (photo above). This is promising – when we tried the "playing calls" tactic with sand martins, it took a while for the effects to be seen.
Speaking of sand martins, there are still young being fed by parents in the nest chambers around the hide, with little faces seen poking out and several maiden flights witnessed.
July 19
Arun Riverlife: 1 gadwall, 3 mute swans, 1 tufted duck
Pelican Cove: 2 pochard, 5 tufted duck, 2 female, and 3 ducklings
Lakes and Forest exhibit: 1 mandarin duck, female
Meadow pond: 8, mandarins, 8 female mandarin: I mean,
Woodland loop: 1 great spotted woodpecker, 3 tufted duck, 1 gadwall
Long path: 2 kingfishers
Scrape hide: 2 wood pigeon, 3 teal, 2 moorhen 5 gadwall, 19 mallards, 1 chiffchaff, 1 greenfinch, 2 mandarins, Cetti’s warbler, 1 coot, 1 chaffinch , 1 goldfinch, 2 sand martins, 1 blue, tit, 1 blackbird, 1 wren, 2 reed warblers, 1 little egret.
Sand Martin, hide: 3 tufted duck, 1 little egret, 20 sand martins
Ramsar hired: 1 Cormorant, 1 tufted duck, 1 Kingfisher
July 18
Arun Riverlife; 1 Kingfisher, perched on a club rush.
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 1 little egret, 1 reed warbler, 1, cackling goose, 1 coot, 2 moorhens, 3 gadwall, 1 mallard, 1 cormorant, 3 greylag geese, 5 tufted duck, 28 black-headed gulls, 1 common gull, 30 sand martins -many still feeding and in the nest chambers
Scrape hide: 1 Kingfisher
July 17
Lapwing, hide: 2 tufted duck, 1 chiff chaff.
Wetlands Discovery: 1 grey wagtail
Wood loop: 3 black caps
July 16
Wetlands discovery: 5 goldfinches
Arun Riverlife: 2 kingfishers heard near the trees
Pelican Cove: 2 pochards - a female and duckling, 6 tufted duck - 2 females with youngsters, 1 oyster catcher
July 15
Arun Riverlife: 2 mute swans with 1 cygnet, 12 mallards, 3 coots, 8 Canada geese, 16 black-headed gulls
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 4 little egrets, 3 oystercatchers adult pair with juvenile,
Scrape hide: 1 little egret
Pelican Cove: 1 oyster catcher, 2 pochards, 6 adult tufted duck with 4 fledged and 4 ducklings.
July 14
Wood loop: 8 mallards, 1 mandarin- juvenile, 4 moorhens, 1 coot, 3 blue tits, 1 robin, 2 male black caps singing, 3 chaffinch
July 13
Pelican Cove: 1 oyster catcher, 6 tufted ducks
Ramsar and San Martin hide: 5 little egrets, 3 oystercatchers, 2 Egyptian geese
Reed bed: 2 goldfinches, 2 mallards, 2, chiffchaff
July 12
Scrape hide: 8 sand martin, 1 kingfisher
Sand Martin Hide: 20 sand martins, 2 Egyptian geese, 1 teal, 1 tufted duck
Ramsar hide: 1 common tern, 3 oystercatchers, 1 cattle egret, 3 little egret, 2 cormorants
Lapwing, hide: 1 tufted duck- female, with possible ducklings
Arun Riverlife: 3 mute swans a pair with 1 cygnet
Pelican Cove: 2 pochards, 4 tufted duck, 2 oystercatcher
Lakes and Forrests exhibit: 10 mallards, 1 mandarin
Woodland loop: 1 Robin, 1 greenfinch, 1 grey wagtail
Willow sphere: 1 mandarin duck- female, 1 gadwall- female,
Scrape hide: 1 chiff chaff, 2 wrens, 1 moorhen, 19 mallards, 2 reed warbler, 4 coots, 3 teal, tufted duck, 2 wood pigeon, 4 gadwall, 1, goldfinch
