Displaying teal on the icy scrape

17 January 2023

Teal, gadwall and shoveler are present in good numbers from Ramsar, Sand Martin and Scrape hides, with shelduck dotted amongst them.

Pair bonds are forming and the array of display between species is an often comical sight. Teal were calling and the males giving head bobbing display on Tuesday, despite the ice covering half the waterway.

Lapwing filling the sky above the lagoon between Ramsar and Sand Martin hides is a wonderful sight indeed. The sight and sound of anything up to 170 plus of these beautiful birds is a welcome return. If you spot any with colour banded leg rings please let us know via the admission desk - accurate reports are most welcome!

Tues 17 Jan

Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 15 gadwall, 1 black-headed gull, 16 little egrets, 49 shoveler, 2 grey heron, 10 wigeon, 1 little grebe, 36 greylag geese, 2 Egyptian geese, 8 shelducks, 2 pochard, 14 coots, 1 moorhen, 6 cormorants, 20 teal, 60 lapwing, 4 snipe

Lapwing hide: 8 snipe

Wetland Discovery: 1 kingfisher, 3 pochard

Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher

Mon 16 Jan

Wetland Discovery: 4 pochards

Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 34 snipe, 165 lapwing, 7 pochards, 4 wigeon, 1 kingfisher.

Sun 15 Jan

Wetland Discovery: 6 pochard, 24 mallards, 6 Canada geese, 4 carrion crow, 4 tufted duck, 2 gadwall, 2 coots.

Scrape hide: 2 lapwing, 1 little grebe, 30 shoveler

Ramsar hide: 72 lapwing, 68 gadwall (34 pairs), 1 snipe, and 11 marsh harriers

Sat 14 Jan

Arun Riverlife: 1 cormorant, 3 pochard, 10 Canada geese, 1 grey heron, 6 coots, 1 kingfisher, 3 moorhens, 6 tufted duck, 10 mallards

Scrape hide: 24 shoveler, 1 marsh harriers

Ramsar & Sand martin hides: 12 shoveelr, 1 kingfisher, 34 teal, 5 snipe, 11 common gull, and 80 lapwing.

Friday 13 Jan

Wetland Discovery area: 1 kingfisher, 4 pochard

Ramsar hide: 6 cormorants, 2 grey heron, 100 lapwing, and 1 pochard

Wood Loop: 7 chaffinches, 10 blue tits, 7 great tits, 1 nuthatch, 2 blackbirds, 2 robins, 3 dunnocks, 1 water rail, 1 moor hen, 1 pheasant, 1 mallard, 1 wood pigeon, 1 goldfinch, 3 squirrels.