First firecrest & cold temps bring in the ducks
Cooler temperature this past week have driven duck numbers up. Lots of lapwing have been dropping in as well. Birds of prey are active - in after the smaller birds that are feeding more in the cold weather. We had our first firecrest sighting on Sunday in the Woodloop!
Firecrest photo by Romney Turner
Monday 30 Nov
Lapwing hide: grey heron
Wetland Discovery: 2 pochard, 1 kingfisher.
Ramsar /Sand martin hides: 5 pochard, 5 snipe, 12 wigen, 4 lapwing, 31 teal, 5 cormorants,
Scrape hide: 10 redwing
Arun Riverlife klagoon: 3 pochard, 1 little grebe.
Tuesday 1 Dec
Near Outlook Inn building: 1 treecreeper
Ramsar / Sand Martin hides: 15 white fronted geese, flying off over river, 10 lapwing, 9 teal, 2 gadwall, 15 snipe, 3 shoveler, 3 mute swans, 21 greylag geese, 3 cormorants, 25 Canada Geese, 25 mallards, 8 shelducks, 3 coot, 2 moorhen, 3 Common Gull, 12 black-headed gull, 10 wigeon, 1 tufted duck, 1 kingfisher
Woodloop: 1 water rail
Wednesday 2 Dec
Scrape hide: 29 teal, 2 shoveler, 17 mallard, 2 shelducks, 6 Canada geese
Thursday 3 Dec
Ramsar hide: 7 shelduck, 4 pochard, 1 little grebe,14 greylag geee, 9 teal, 2 Canada geese.
Sand Martin hide: 32 mallards, 1 cormorant, 14 wigeon, 4 lapwing, 7 tufted duck, 4 pochard, 3 shelduck, 2 shoveler
Scrape hide: 36 mallard, 9 teal, 2 wigeon, 4 shelduck
Woodloop: 3 goldfinch, 6 blue tits, 1 great tit, 1 chaffinch.
Arun Riverlife: 1 pochard, 44 teal, 2 tufted ducks, 1 little egret, 1 kingfisher.
Friday 4 Dec
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 22 snipe, 40 lapwing, 1 pintail, 19 wigeon, 9 shelducks.
Woodloop: 1 pheasant, 2 moorhen, 13 blue tits, 3 mallards, 1 great tit, 3 chaffinch, 1 wren
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 4 pochards, 1 little grebe.
Saturday 5 Dec
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 4 pochard, 1 grey heron, 1 cormorant, 34 mallards, 7 Canada geese, 2 coots, 1 tufted duck, 1 snipe, 1 black-headed gull, 1 red kite.
Ramsar hide: 18 pintails, 20 shoveler, 17 snipe, 44 lapwing
Wetland Discovery: 1 peregrine
Reedbeds: 1 marsh harrier, kestrel
Offham hangar: sparrowhawk
Sun 6 Dec
Wetlands Discovery: 23 mallards, 3 pochards, 2 Canada geese, 1 moorhen, 2 snipe, 5 tufted ducks, 1 coot.
Reedbed hide: 1 kingfisher, 1 water rail.
Woodloop: 1 firecrest, 1 water rail.
Wildlife sightings are based on a morning count by staff, every area of the site is not recorded every day.
