Moth survey & butterfly eggs
The first moth survey of the season only attracted 3 moths and a female minotaur beetle, due to the cold temperatures. We did have a lovely emperor moth sitting on the access gate for staff to the Pelican Cove exhibit on Tues 23 on Monday morning.
Cuckoo flowers are in bloom and our first cuckoo was heard to the north end of the reserve from staff in the Discovery. Sharp eyed staff spotted orange tipped butterfly eggs on cuckoo flowers in the reedbed – also known as lady’s smock these plants are food source for orange tip butterfly larvae.
Look our for Canada geese gosling waddling about this week in addition to the grey goslings.
Tues 23 April
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 2 oystercatchers, 6 lapwings, 11 black-headed gulls, 1 herring gull, 2 Egyptian Geese, 19 Canada geese, 5 adult greylags with 8 young goslings, 2 cackling geese, 1 cormorant, 2 gadwall, 12 tufted ducks 6 pairs, 4 shoveler, 12 mallards, 2 coots, 1 moorhen, 1 marsh harrier male, 25 sand martins, 2 mute swans, 1 sedge warbler, 1 wren
Wetland Discovery area: 1 pochard, 1 reed warbler
Scrape hide: 1 pochard, 2 lapwing, 1 nightingale
Arun Riverlife: 1 oystercatchers, 1 pochard,1 snipe
Monday 22 April
Pelican cove access gate: 1 emperor moth
Millstream outflow: a pair of tree creepers
Wetland Discovery: 2 Canada geese with three goslings
Scrape hide: 2 Canada geese with three goslings, 1 male pochard, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 shelduck
ReedbedL 1 reed warber, 1 moorhen
Woodloop: 2 chaffinches, 1 moorehen, 1 great spotted woodpecker
Reed swamp exhibit: 2 oystercatchers,1 male pochard
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 coot on nest, 2 pochards (a pair)
Wet grassland: 3 tufted ducks, 2 mallard, 3 shoveler, 2 gadwall, 8 greylag geese, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 sedge warbler, 1 cackling goose, 8 sand martins, 1 chaffinch, 1 coot, 1 moorhen, 1 black-headed gull, 1 goldfinch
Ramsar hide: 4 greylag geese and two groups of goslings (5 & 6), 5 ;apwing, 2 oystercatchers
Sun 21 April
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 pochard
North end of Reserve: heard a cuckoo while in Discovery hide.
Wetland Discovery area: 8 mallards, 3 tufted ducks, 1 Canada goose, 2 sedge warblers, 1 robin, 2 Cetti’s warblers, gadwall, 1 chaffinch, 1 wren, 2 goldfinches, ragged robin flowers
Waterside walk: 2 Egyptian geese
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 2 oystercatchers, 6 lapwing, c30 sand martins, 2 cackling geese, 1 cackling X barnacle 1, 2 lesser black-backed gull
Scrape hide: 3 pochard, 1 shelduck.
Sat 20 April
Arun Riverlife: 6 tufted ducks, 3 pochard, 1 shoveler, 8 mallards, 1 coot, 10 Canada geese, 9 greylag geese, 1 moorhen, 18 black-headed gull, 2 oystercatchers, 2 gadwall, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 sedge warbler
Wetland Discovery: 2 pochards
Waterside walk: 1 oystercatcher
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 1 oystercatcher, 2 Egyptian geese, 4 lapwings, 1 snipe flushed from back of wet grassland by lapwing, c30 sand martins
Scrape hide: 1 shelduck, 6 sand martins
Reedbed: toad tadpoles, orange tip butterfly eggs on lady’s smock (cuckoo flower), 1 grass snake under survey tin 4
