Kingfisher adults & juveniles all active on site
The last brood of kingfishers fledged from the bank on Arun Riverlife around 9th August, but can still be seen darting around the reserve, as can the parents.
Regular visitor Alec Pelling took this stunning kingfisher photo from the Discovery hide on Sept 10.
Many species of wildfowl are now coming out of their annual moult and are starting to regain their beautiful plumage. Shoveler numbers are increasing, with juvenile birds seen amongst the adults. Gadwall numbers are up as well.
We are now seeing more house martins and sand martins moving through the reserve on their southern migration. Our breeding colony of sand martins left the Sand Martin hide in late August. The Reserve team will open the nesting bank after the migration finishes to see how many sand martin nest there were this year.
We are seeing mixed tit flocks on the feeders in the wood loop and black caps, Cetti’s warblers and bullfinches around other areas of the site. A bird that caused the most excitement recently, was a wryneck spotted from the Ramsar hide on 2nd September.
This is not a comprehensive list of current wildlife onsite. Our Reserve team observes different sections of the site on a rotating basis.
Mon 11 September
Wetland Discovery: 1 pochard
Scrape hide: 2 pochards
Pelican Cove: 1 pochard
Lapwing Hide: 1 wren, 1 wood pigeon
Sun 10 September
Wetland Discovery: 2 mute swans, 11 mallards, 2 coots, 1 wood pigeon, 2 pochard
Sand martin hide: 1 common sandpiper, 60 house martins, 1 great white egret
Reedbed: 1 marsh harrier, 2 moorhen chicks
Long path: 2 mallard ducklings
Ramsar hide: 4 cattle egret and 1 little egret in the afternoon.
Sat 9 Sept
Arun Riverlife: 3 mute swans adults and juvenile, 19 mallards, 16 coots, 6 black-headed gulls
Wetland Discovery: 1 female pochard, female willow emerald damselfly egg-laying on alder.
Wet Grassland: 1 snipe at the back
Sand martin hide: 2 Egyptian geese
Waterside Walk: 1 painted lady butterfly.
Scape hide: 4 teal, 8 shoveler, 24 gadwall, 1 migrant hawker dragonfly
Fri 8 September
Woodloop: 12 mallards, 2 chiff chaff, 2 mandarin, 2 goldfinches, 2 great tits, 1 moorhen
Sand martin hide: c40 sand martins hawking over water.
Thurs 7 September
Reedbed boardwalk: 2 Cetti’s warblers, 40 mallards, 3 blue tits, 1 great tit, 1 moorhen
Wed 6 Sept
Scrape hide: 2 Cetti’s warblers, 2 bullfinches, 2 yellowhammer, 1 great tt
Sand martin hide: 2 gadwall
Ramsar hide: 1 gadwall
Car park: 4 black caps
Arun Riverlife 3 mute swans – a pair and cygnet
Pelican cove: 2 gadwall, 1 tufted duck.
Lakes & Forest: 2 grey wagtails
Woodland Loop: log-tailed tit, great tits, blue tits, black cap, chaffinch, goldfinch mixed flock
Meadow pond: 4 mandarin ducks
Willow sphere: 4 gadwall
Scrape hide: 2 chiff chaffs, 16 mallards, 11 gadwall, 2 coots, 4 shoveler, 1 moorhen, 5 wood pigeons
