Lapwings, bullfinches & grebes
The juvenile great crested grebe was still on site this morning between the Ramsar hide and the Sand martins. Our usual little grebe (dabchick) was there as well although going after much smaller fish!
The new gravel islands are proving popular with cormorants - we had a high of nine on Friday. Twenty plus lapwing were coming in most days last week as well.
The Reserve team spotted 2 male bullfinches in the area of the boat safaris (wetland Discovery) on Saturday. There have been good numbers of small birds on the feeders on the woodloop and snipe visible at Scrape and Ramsar hides. More water rail are visible, maybe getting hungrier as the temperature drops.
Mon 21 Nov
Wetland Discovery: 1 kingfisher
Lapwing hide: 1 moorhen
Scrape hide: 6 snipe,
Old Trumpeter pen: 1 kingfisher, 3 little egrets
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 2 grey herons, 1 water rail, 5 snipe, 17 lapwing, 8 cormorants, 3 little egrets, 1 kingfisher, 1 little grebe, 1 great crested grebe (juvenile), 1 wigeon female.
Sun 20 Nov
Arun Riverlife: 2 pochard
Pelican Cove: 8 tufted ducks, 1 pochard
Scrape hide: 4 snipe, 1 pochard
Old Trumpeter Pen: 2 kingfishers
Ramsar & Sand martin hides: 3 shelduck, 1 little egret, 20 lapwing, 6 snipe
Wetland Discovery: 2 kingfisher, 1 coot, 1 cormorant, 1 blackbird, 2 bullfinches, 1 mallard
Sat 19 Nov
Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 1 little egret, 1 kingfisher, 3 snipe, 20 lapwing
Old Trumpeter Swan pen: 3 little egrets
Scrape hide: 1 snipe, 1 kingfisher, 4 wigeon
Arun Riverlife: 21 mallard, 23 coot, 2 pochard, 9 tufted ducks, 9 greylag geese, 10 Canada Geese, 1 grey heron
Offham Hangar: 1 red kite
Wetland Discovery: 1 pochard, 2 kingfisher
Fri 18 Nov
Wood Loop: 12 blue tits, 4 great tits, 2 chaffinch, 3 robins, 1 coal tits, 2 moorhen, 1 goldfinch, 1 1 pheasant, 1 woodpigeon.
Arun Riverlife: 5 pochard
Willow screen: 1 kingfisher
Scrape hide: 4 snipe, 1 water rail,
Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 1 little grebe, 1 little egret, 24 lapwing, 9 cormorant, 60 little egrets and 5 cattle egrets (roost)
Thurs 17 Nov
Sand Martin hide: 9 teal, 2 gadwall, 1 great egret, 1 kingfisher
Scrape hide: 2 little egrets, 6 shoveler, 2 pochards
Arun Riverlife: 10 greylag geese, 11 Canada geese, 39 coots
Wood Loop: 2 blue tits, 1 coal tit
Ramsar hide: 14 cormorants, 2 shovelers, 9 tufted ducks, 1 snipe, 2 shelducks, and 4 greylag geese.
