Nesting lapwing pair a sign of Spring

Lapwing in flight over wet grassland at Lapwing hide. By Ken Turner

Recent sightings

On Wetlands Discovery

  • Barn Owl in large owl box on pole in Wetland Discovery (6.30 am)
  • Fewer owl pellets in the hides
  • Kingfisher
  • Water voles

 

Around the Reserve

  • Female marsh harrier morning hunting over reedbed, (pair are still roosting in reedbed showed up on survey 2 weeks ago)
  • Grass snakes ( some seen in water likely hunting toads)
  • Buff-tailed bumblebees collecting nectar from flowering catkins
  • Brimstone butterflies (2 males, emerged from winter hibernation)
  • 1 pair of lapwing nesting, 2 pairs lapwing display and nest scraping on wet grassland as seen from the Lapwing hide
  • 2 pairs of lapwing displaying on Wet Grassland across from Ramsar hide
  • 1 pair of lapwing displaying on Arun Riverlife lagoon.
  • A pair of Oystercatchers hanging around Tundra Pen where they nested last year
  • 1 pair oystercatchers on Wet grassland across from Ramsar hide
  • Water vole signs throughout the reedbed
  • Influx of small birds onsite
    • More Reed bunting singing in reed bed
    • More chiff chaff singing onsite
  • Pair of pintail still onsite near Sand Martin hide

Flowering on site:

  • Primrose
  • Coltsfoot
  • Red Dead nettle

Anticipating:

  • Sand martins, house martins and swallows – usually around Easter

Fewer:

  • Water rail
  • Snipe
  • Teal
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