Flurries of sand martins
There is a lot of martin activity around the sand martin hide, with birds popping in and out of the burrows in the nesting bank "arms" surrounding the central viewing windows.
Sand martins are hunting insects over the water and soaring in the skies above the hide and at the nearby Scrape and Lapwing hides. too.
A couple of common sand pipers have been spotted onsite for a few days last week. One n the Waterside Walk area (which is closed because of a nesting bird) and the other seen multiple days form the Sand martin hide.
The marsh harriers are still showing in the Reedbed. Most sightings are of the male, circling the reedbed or going off down the river.
Mon 28 April
Pelican Cove: 2 oystercatchers
Scrape hide: 1 male pochard
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 2 great white egrets, 2 little egrets, 1 oystercatcher, 5 lapwings some nesting behaviours
Lapwing hide: 1 sedge warbler, 1 chaffinch, 1 chiffchaff, 2 tufted ducks, 2 mallards, 1 blackbird.
Sun 27 April
Wetland Discovery area: 1 sedge warbler, 1 reed warbler, 1 black cap. 2 Cetti’s warblers, 5 mallards, 1 chiffchaff, 1 song thrush, 1 pochard, 4 tufted ducks, 6 greylag geese, 2 Canada geese, 1 chaffinch, 1 coot, 1 blackbird
Scrape hide: 1 marsh harrier circling the lost reedbed at 3 pm and 4:30 pm., 3 pochards
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: c 40 sand martins, 2 oystercatchers, 4 lapwings
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 lapwing, 2 oystercatchers
Sat 26 April
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 25 cattle egrets, 1 marsh harrier flew from reedbed and back,5 lapwings plus 3 flying around the river, 2 oystercatchers, c60 sand martins, 2 shelducks
Scrape hide: c10 sand martins, 1 march harrier circling reedbed, 1 pochard, 1 common sand piper
Arun Riverlife: 27 black-headed gulls, 2 oystercatchers, 2 mute swans, 6 greylag geese, 8 Canada geese, 3 coots, 2 wood pigeons, 3 mallards, 2 tufted ducks, 1 moorhen
Fri 25 April
Woodland Loop: 4 chaffinches, 2 wren, 2 jackdaws, 3 goldfinches,6 tufted ducks, 10 mallards, 3 moorhens, 1 greenfinch, 3 wood pigeons, 1 mandarin, 2 great tits, 2 blue tits.
Thurs 24 April
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 pochard, 2 lapwings
Pelican Cove: 2 oystercatchers, 2 mandarin ducks
Lapwing hide: 1 marsh harrier flew over towards the river
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 5 lapwing mobbing a crow and nest scraping, 2 oystercatchers, 4 shelducks, 2 barnacle geese, 1 sand piper, c50 sand martins
Scrape hide: c10 sand martins, 2 pochards, 2 sedge warblers, 3 blue tits, 3 reed warblers, 17 mallards, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 2 great tits, 1 marsh harrier went down into reedbed, 6 Canada geese, 10 greylag geese, 1 moorhen, 1 chiff chaff, 1 chaffinch, 12 black-headed gulls, 4 sand martins over reedbed.
Wed 23 April
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 mandarins (a pair), 3 gadwall, 1 male lapwing, 2 tufted ducks (a pair)
Pelican Cove: 2 oystercatchers (a pair)
Lakes & Forests exhibit: 1 mandarin duck
Reedbed: 2 snipe, 2 marsh harriers (a pair)
Scrape hide: 36 Canda geese, 17 greylag geese, 2 reed warblers, 4 pochards, 10 mallards, 2 great tits, 8 tufted ducks, 3 gadwall, 1 chaffinch, 1 blackbird, 4 sand martins, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 1 sedge warbler, 1 mute swan
Sand martin hide: 4 tufted ducks (2 pairs), 3 shelducks (one pair and a male), 2 oystercatchers (a pair), 3 gadwall, 1 Egyptian goose, 4 teal (2 pairs), 1 male lapwing, 1 male shoveler, 1 common sand piper, c50 sand martins
Bewick’s swans exhibit pond: 1 gadwall, 2 moorhens (large chicks)
Waterside walk: 6 tufted ducks (3 pairs), 2 gadwall (a pair), 2 Egyptian geese (a pair), 1 common sand piper, 3 sholveler, 3 gadwalls
Wetland Discovery area: 2 tufted ducks (a pair), 2 gadwalls (a pair)
