High waters brings in the teal & lapwing
This very wet year and lots of rain in December have raised the water levels throughout the reserve. Higher water changes the makeup of the wildfowl population on the reserve. Shelduck numbers have dropped but teal numbers are booming. Snipe have decreased dramatically from daily counts of 60 down to two individuals on the wet grassland. The high water throughout the Arun Valley has left the snipe spoiled for choice for feeding spots - they will likely return as the water levels drop again.
There is a lot of lapwing in the Arun Valley now. We had 23 on site yesterday and I counted 80 overflying the reserve. Today from the Ramsar hide I watch a heron on the back island along with the two snipe that stayed on through high water. Shelduck have increased again and I count 28 today. The 34 greylag geese are overshadowed by 26 Canada geese honking loudly as another 30 Canada's come into land on the water.
On the approach to the Sand martin hide I photograph a stout looking robin sunning himself in the thicket. The hide is crowded with birders today. Russ alerts me to two red kite across the river on the downs. I also spot a kestrel hovering in the air over the river. A little grebe swims in front of the hide - a tiny contrast to two cormorants fishing nearby. I count 75 teal on the water.
A peregrine comes over, flushing three lapwing into the air while a fourth lapwing remains on the left hand island. A kingfisher mesmerises the audience in the hide. We watch him perch halfway up a bush. Then he takes off, hovering in the air before diving straight down to take a fish back to another tree.
At the Scrape hide I count 60 teal and 15 gadwall. At the Sussex Screen I watch a cormorant fish the quiet water, enjoying his privacy. I scan the reeds, hoping to see a bittern in this quiet spot. While the flooded paths were closed to public, Alan on the grounds team flushed a bittern while he waded down the long path last week.
Walking back to the visitor centre I stop to watch a flock of chaffinch feeding in the Lakes and Forest pen. A grey wagtail walks the edge, casting a reflection in the water.
