Roosting Cormorants
From the Ramsar hide a small flock of nine cattle egrets arrived around 3.30 pm yesterday, six landing on the large gravelly island while the last three stopped on the point of the wet grassland, opposite. These early arrivals for the evening roost drew my attention to three cormorants roosting in the tree to the left of the Ramsar hide. We have seen between two to eight cormorants roosting in the this tree, sometimes among the egrets. This tree near Ramsar was the traditional roosting spot of the little egrets in winter. Cattle egrets still use this tree, sometimes the trees opposite the Sand Martin hide and they even have been spotted on the trees at the back of the water at the Scrape hide.
A couple of cormorants had been very active on Arun Riverlife lagoon earlier in the day cutting through the water in their distinctive low riding wake. When they dive, its astonishing how far away they may resurface. Then it is up onto the bank, wings outstretched, drying out for a bit.
Also in the afternoon at Ramsar hide, several pairs of gadwall were on the water, flipping tails up to feed. A handful of teal were napping on land at the water's edge, heads tucked in, almost invisible. Further away mallards and shelduck cruised around.
Wed 15 Jan
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide (Large Lagoon): 9 cattle egrets, 30 Canada geese, 58 greylag geese, 25 shelducks, 2 Egyptian geese, 9 pochard, 4 snipe, 26 lapwings.
Scrape hide: 25 mallards, 4 coots, 2 carrion crow, 8 Canada geese, 2 teal, 2 long-tailed tits, 4 gadwall, 3 blue tits, 2 blackbirds, 1 sparrowhawk, 1 robin, 2 kingfishers.
Wetland Discovery: 11 tufted ducks
Tues 14 Jan
Waterside Walk: 1 kingfisher
Arun Riverlife lagoon: Canada geese, greylag geese, mallards, 1 pochard.
Ramsar/Sand Martin hide: 10 cattle egrets, 6 cormorants, 84 lapwing, 16 shelducks, 67 Canada geese, 2 greylag geese, 14 shovelers, 5 gadwall, 43 mallards, 13 teal, 1 kestrel, 1 grey wagtail, 1 carrion crow, 3 coots, 1 little grebe.
Sun 12 Jan
Wetland Discovery: 2 coots, 4 mallards, 1 dunnock, 1 kingfisher, 3 blackbirds, 1 robin, 1 mute swan
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide (Large Lagoon): 21 cattle egrets, 21 shelducks, 50 lapwing, 2 little grebes, 2 pintails, 31 teal
Crossroads: 1 bullfinch
Sat 11 Jan
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide (Large Lagoon): 1 snipe, 120 lapwing, 1 kingfisher, 8 shelducks, 24 mallards, 4 coots, 2 mute swans, 11 Canada geese, 8 greylag geese, 11 black-headed gulls, 14, cattle egrets.
Fri 10 Jan
Pond on approach to Scrape hide: 1 water rail
Woodland Loop: 3 goldfinches, 2 robins, 2 blackbirds, 5 blue tits, 5 great tits, 1 long-tailed tits, 1 coal tit, 2 chaffinches, 1 wood pigeon, 4 mallards, 1 moorhen
Longpath: 1 kingfisher
Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher, Canada geese, greylag geese, mallards
