Shelducklings hatch, dunlin spotted & great crested grebe returns
This is Paul Steven's Wildlife Sightings column for May 19, 2016. You can read Paul’s column every week in the Observer series of newspapers.
New life continues to spring forth at Arundel Wetland Centre. On a walk in the Woodland Loop I spotted a long-tailed tit chick perched up a twig beginning to fledge. The adults themselves a ball of fluff with a long tail and their youngsters are even cuter and fluffier. I also spotted a nuthatch, balck caps and wrens around the feeders.
I am excited to report that at last we have some shelduck ducklings! Eight ducklings have been spotted at the Scrape hide since last Friday. The lovely white ducklings with fluffy black cap and stripes resemble mint humbug candies. Also at the Scrape I spotted a Cettis warbler, gadwall, shovelers and tufted ducks.
A second pair of oystercatchers is nesting between the Ramsar and Sand Martin hides on one of the shingle islands. We spotted the first pair out there in April. For the last few years we have one pair of oystercatchers that managed to raise one chick each season. Could one of those youngsters have returned with a mate? The black-headed gulls are also nesting on the shingle islands.
We are seeing more and more insects about. Alderflies have emerged from the ponds and are all around the site. I saw a painted lady butterfly in the Sensory herb garden beside our visitor centre. Painted ladies migrate from North Africa and the Mediterranean to Britain in May and June but this is a bit early to see one. Orange tip butterflies are now egg-laying on lady smock and hedge garlic. In your own garden orange tip butterflies lay eggs on common honesty (Lunaria annua). More large red and blue tailed damselflies have emerged but we still have no dragonflies yet.
We had a common sandpiper onsite again last Saturday. A dunlin was sighted by visitor Martin Daniel on Friday from the Sand Martin hide and reported on the Sussex Ornithological Society website. The great crested grebe that has spent the last month on the Arun Riverlife lagoon disappeared for a few days last week but I am pleased to report he has returned over the weekend.
