Kingfisher pair trying out our nesting bank
We’ve got high hopes that a pair of kingfishers will settle down in our specially designed kingfisher nesting bank on the Arun Riverlife lagoon this year. We have been seeing our favourite fishing birds going into nesting holes.
We’ve got high hopes that a pair of kingfishers will settle down in our specially designed kingfisher nesting bank on the Arun Riverlife lagoon outside the visitor centre this year. We have been seeing our favourite fishing birds perching near the bank one and two at a time for the past week.
On Wed 24 Feb Warden Suzi Lanaway watched as a female kingfisher perched next to the bank while a male checked out one of the nest holes, then she had a look in. Eventually both went into nesting holes while the other stood watch before flying off! Fingers crossed!
Wildlife sightings
Sun 28 Feb
Arun Riverlife: 1 lapwing, 1 pochard
Lapwing hide: 3 lapwings ( 2 males displaying), 1 grass snake under survey tin.
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 3 lapwing - 1 male displaying, 4 wigeon, 6 cackling geese, 3 carrion crows
Wetlands Discovery: 6 greylag geese, Canada Geese, 26 mallards, 4 blue tits, 1 Cetti's warbler, 20 tufted ducks (10 pairs), 3 pochards, 3 pochard (2 male, 1 female)
Sat 27 Feb
Wetland discovery bank: First grass snake of season spotted under survey tin.
Weland Discovery boat channels: 5 pochards (3 male, 2 female)
Front ponds: Signs of watervole - fresh food pile, lots of toads heard and spotted.
Scrape Hide: 1 pochard, 1 chiffchaff, 1 Cetti's warbler
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 4 wigeon
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 24 mallards, 12 Canada geese, 2 greylag geese, 3 shelducks, 2 snipe, 5 pochards, 2 tufted ducks, 2 shoveler, 2 coots, 1 grey heron.
Fri 26 Feb
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 10 snipe, 2 shoveler (pair), 2 oystercatchers (pair), 1 kingfishers on perch at nesting bank, 1 pochard
Lapwing hide: 3 lapwing (2 males displaying)
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 oystercatcher, 4 lapwings, 8 snipe, 3 wigeon
Willow Screen: 1 kingfisher
Wood Loop: 10 blue tits, 1 dunnock, 4 great tits, 4 goldfinches, 1 wood pigeon, 6 chaffinches, 2 wrens.
Thurs 25 Feb
Lapwing hide: 3 lapwings, 9 teal, 3 shoveler, 2 gadwall, 2 shelducks, 1 Cetti’s warbler.
Ramsa and Sand martin hides: 2 gadwall, 4 shelducks, 2 teal, 150 black-headed gulls, 5 tufted ducks
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 4 tufted ducks, 2 pochards, 1 kingfisher.
Scrape hide: 2 gadwall, 1 Cetti’s warbler.
Wood Loop: 1 song thrush.
Wed 24 Feb
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 7 snipe, 1 pochard
Scrape hide: 10 Canada geese, 2 greylag geese, 14 mallrds, 2 shelducks, 4 gadwall, 4 black-headed gulls, 1 coot, 1 teal.
Reedbeds: 1 tree creeper.
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 9 pochards, 2 kingfishers at the kingfisher nesting bank.
