Barn owl, kestrels & kingfishers
Roger Gilroy photographed this black-headed gull in winter plummage diving for a fish. He are some recent sightings by our wardens.
A barn owl is making regular runs at around 1pm each day, emerging from and returning to the small owl box in the trees on the islands of Wetland Discovery section. A kestrel was perched on the large owl box on Sunday - a pair of kestrels have been hanging about the site, one was spotted perching in the car park on Saturday and in the willow to the left on Arun Riverlife in the afternoon.
A kingfisher was causing a commotion at the Ramsar hide on Sunday afternoon. There was 40 people in the hide and on the bridge entrance to the hide with our guide Jeremy, watching the flashy 'fisher who spent most of the afternoon near the hide.
Recent sightings by WWT wardens
19 Jan
Wetlands Discovery: little egret, kestrel, green woodpecker, 3 teal, 3 pochard, 2 tufted ducks, 1 barn owl
Reedbed hide: grey heron, pied wagtails 50 roost)
Scrape hide: 2 marsh harriers, 6 field fare
Long path: 2 firecrests
Ramsar hide: kingfisher
18 Jan
Ramsar hide: 33 snipe, 4 lapwing
Lapwing hide: 5 lapwing
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 30 snipe
Woodland Loop: marsh tit
Wetland Discovery: barn owl
17 Jan
Woodland Lodge hide: 6 great tits, 1 chaffinch, 3 blue tits
Woodland feeders: 7 chaffinch, 6 great tits, 2 blue tits, 6 great tits
16 Jan
Wetlands Discovery: barn owl,
Long path: goldcrests, firecrest. bullfinch
Ramsar hide: 3 apwing. 8 snipe, 10 pochard. Arun Riverlife: litte egret, 3 pochards
