Kingfisher fight & oystercatcher chicks
Two male kingfishers got into a scrap near the kingfisher nesting bank on Arun Riverlife on Sun 18 June. Regular visitor Alec Pelling took these amazing photos of the skirmish.
Kingfisher males are territorial - both these birds look male as their beaks are totally black. Female kingfishers have orange on their bottom bill. These birds are both adults with vibrant coloured feathers and bright orange legs where juvenile kingfishers are have duller feathers and greyish legs.
The interloping male could be one of last year’s offspring as kingfishers have been nesting in the bank since 2020. Or it could be the male of a second pair that nested nearby onsite at the Sand Martin hide last year.
One of the fighting males must be part of a pair that are using the nesting bank at the Arun Riverlife lagoon at Arundel Wetland Centre again this spring. This pair have already hatched three chicks this year – these fledged juveniles were spotted by Simon our boat driver along the route of the boat Safari last Wednesday.
One of our regular oystercatcher pairs has been spotted on the cobbled island opposite the Sand martin hide with at least 2 chicks – they are hard to see against the cobbles! Good numbers of sand martins are here most day- c30 birds whizzing around the nest bank. A lone great crested grebe was spotted there last week.
The tufted duck co-parent with a mallard at Pelican Cove still has all four ducklings. The female pochard here still has her one duckling.
Good numbers of gadwall tucked in around the Scrape hide – all going into moult.
Sun 18 June
Arun Riverlife: 2 kingfishers – male on perches 1 & 2, female in and out of burrows 5, 7, 8
Wetland Discovery: 1 black-headed gull, 6 goldfinches, 1 coot, 1 mallard, 2 carrion crow.
Lapwing hide: 1 lapwing flying over wet grassland and calling on ground
Ramsar hide: 2 oystercatchers –one pair with 2 chicks, 1 pochard, and 50 gadwall flown off wet grassland to Scrape hide.
Sat 17 June
Arun Riverlife: 7 Canada geese, 18 black-headed gulls, 6 mallards, 3 gadwall, 4 tufted ducks, 1 moorhen, 1 coot, 2 kingfishers – both adults on perches and investigating hole 8.
Ramsar / Sand martin hide: 1 oystercatcher, 2 teal, 1 cuckoo heard back of Wetland discovery.
Scrape hide: 2 mute swans with 5 cygnets
Pelican cove: 1 female pochard with 1 duckling, 1 tufted duck female with 4 duckling and 1 female mallard co-parent. 1 female mallard with 4 ducklings.
Fri 16 June
Sensory garden: hummingbird hawkmoth
Wood Loop: 5 goldfinches, 2 chiff chaffs, 16 mallards, 2 blackbirds, 4 moorhens, 2 great spotted woodpecker, 1 wren
Ramsar hide: 1 great crested grebe, 1 cuckoo heard by river
Thurs 15 June
Hanger: 2 peregrine calling on usual perch – adults and juvenile
Ramsar hide: 1 oystercatcher
Scrape hide: 33 gadwall in moult
Pelican cove: 1 pochard with duckling, tufted duck with 4 ducklings and female mallard, 1 mallard with 4 ducklings.
Reed bed: 2 sedge warblers, 1 black-tailed skimmer dragonfly, 2 wrens, 2 reed warblers, 3 chiff chaffs, 2 goldfinches, 36 mallard, 2 gadwall, 1 wood pigeon, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 tufted duck
Wed 14 June
Wetland Discovery: 3 juvenile kingfisher
Scrape hide: 1 goldfinch, 2 shoveler, 2 wood pigeon, 2 sand martins, 1 moorhen
Sand Martin hide: 4 tufted ducks, 2 oystercatcher with 2 chicks, c30 sand martins
Ramsar hide: 1 pochard, 3 lapwings 1 adult 2 juveniles, 6 gadwall, 2 cormorants, 1 male kingfisher, and 2 little egrets
Lapwing hide: 2 lapwing (pair)
Pelican Cove: 6 mallards – 4 ducklings
