Kingfishers are feeding young
Last
Saturday we caught this pic of the kingfisher pair both outside their nesting hole
in the Kingfisher bank on Arun Riverlife lagoon.
If the kingfisher is
holding a fish in its mouth with the head facing forward it's about to
feed young, if you can see the fish tail it is the adult's dinner. Also
an easy way to remember to tell the male from female is "lady in
lipstick" - meaning the female has orange lower bill. Remember to record
your kingfisher sightings with our new Wildlife Observation cards.
Read more about them here
Of the four lapwing at the Lapwing hide one pair appear to be trying to nest again. On Sunday one female is sitting on what may be a new nest over from where she used to be sitting. One bird was giving warning call while a male lapwing flew up to mob a crow, then a nearby grey heron. At the back a male is protecting something but there is no female visible and no chicks.
In last Friday’s reptile survey we found a total of 8 grass snakes under our survey tins, all were adults except one juvenile.
The oystercatcher is still sitting tight on the island in front of the coastal creek aviary.
Recent wildlife sightings by our wardens. Wardens do not survey every hide each day to record sightings.
Tuesday 25 May
Lapwing hide: 3 lapwing
Ramsar hide: 2 coots, 2 adult mute swans and 3 cygnets, 1 lapwing, 3 Canada geese, 8 adult greylag geese and 2 goslings, 1 cormorant, 1 oystercatcher, 6 mallards, 6 male and 2 female tufted ducks, a pair of gadwall, 28 back-headed gulls, 1 male pochard.
Sand Martin hide: 5 sand martins.
Monday 24 May
Lapwing hide: 1 mallard, 2 shelducks, 4 gadwall, 2 Canada geese, 2 greylags, 2 lapwing.
Sunday 23 May
Wetlands Discovery (boat safari channels): 3 Canada geese, 2 coots, 10 mallards, 1 reed warblers, 2 willow warbler, 1 moorhen, 1 grey herons, 2 wren, 1 tufted, 1 sedge warbler, 2 adult mute swans and 3 cygnets1 chiffchaff, 2 goldfinches, 2 grass snakes under survey tins, 2 adult greylag geese with 2 goslings.
Scrape hide: 20 house martins, 2 swallows, 4 sand martins, a pair of lapwing and a male lapwing .
Lapwing hide: 4 lapwing – male mobbing crow and heron, female on new nest, male lapwing at back.
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 1 oystercatcher on right island, 3 male pochards, 15 sand martins, 14 house martins, 2 lapwing female sitting and the male nearby.
Sat 22 May
Arun Riverlife: 2 mute swans, 4 Canada geese, 4 male pochard and 1 female, 4 male tufted ducks and 2 females, 1 gadwall, 13 male mallards and 3 females, 31 black-headed gulls.
Lapwing hide: 4 lapwing, 1 sitting, 1 sitting and brooding young, 1 calling (no chicks seen)
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 1 male lapwing 1 male pochard, 1 oystercatcher on left island, 60 plus sand martins, swallows and house martins.
Scrape hide: 1 pochard, 1 male lapwing, 10 house martins.
Friday 21 May (very windy)
House martins everywhere!
Ramsar hide: 1 lapwing, 2 shelducks, 11 Canada geese, 2 greylags, 1 pochard, 4 tufted ducks.
Lapwing hide: 2 lapwings, 1 kestrel, 1 shoveler, 4 Canada geese, 5 greylags
Sand Martin hide: 4 tufted ducks, 3 gadwall, 3 Canada geese, 2 oystercatcher, 2 pochard, 2 greylag geese, 2 shelduck, 3 tufted ducks.
Thurs 20 May
Sand martin hide: 2 oystercatcher, 3 male and 2 female gadwall, 2 male and 2 female tufted ducks, 1 male shoveler.
Ramsar hide: 1 sedge warbler, 1 lapwing, 1 Egyptian goose,
Lapwing hide: 2 lapwing, 1 kestrel, 1 kingfisher flying towards Ramsar hide, 1 song thrush.
