Fircrest & bittern delight Mike
TV Nature presenter Mike Dilger visited WWT Arundel last Friday. The TV nature presenter's day at WWT Arundel was the first of his nine day tour to all nine WWT centres to raise awareness and funds for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Save The Spoon-billed Sandpiper appeal.
Last year the WWT collected and hatched spoon-billed sandpiper eggs in Russia and brought the chicks to the UK to begin a breeding program to ensure the small wading bird does not go extinct. In the next phase the WWT will work with communities along sandpiper migration routes, encouraging those who net birds for food to try fishing instead by supplying them with nets and training.
Mike Dilger was taught how to drive the electric boats of the Wetlands Discovery safari by Simon Wotton as part of the nine challenges he is doing during his tour. Staff of WWT Arundel took Mike on a morning tour of our hides for some birdwatching in preparation for the charity wildfowl walk he was to lead on the reserve later in the day. At the Scrape hide we watched a snipe hiding in the reeds close to the front of the hide. A kingfisher came in low over the water to perch along the scrub at the back at the Sand Martin hide. Mike was enthralled to see a large group of common gulls here, not common in Bristol where he lives. A pair of shoveler sat on the tip of the spit across from the hide windows.
Mike was really excited by all the recent firecrest sightings on the reserve and he took time out in the afternoon to look for them. Mike had no luck but met several visitors who had and looked enviously at their photos!
At dusk Grounds supervisor Sam Halpin and centre manager Olivia Iles went on the special Wildfowl Walk with Mike and a handful of lucky visitors. The group had a fantastic time watching groups of teal and pochard. They expected to see greylag geese and Canada geese come into roost near the Ramsar hide - they were thrilled by the sight of seven Bewick's Swans landing on the water! At the Scrape hide a bittern took to the air across the reedbed. Sam was really excited as she had never seen one before. The cold weather has made the reclusive birds more brazen in their search for food. As I stood looking out the gallery window yesterday I even saw a bittern flying low over the reedbed.
