Summer youngsters & bounty of butterflies
We're well into August now but there are still young families about. Not all chicks are fully fledged.
Its been a good summer for moorhens and we are still seeing their youngsters. especially in the reedbeds and the Wood Loop.
Everybody's favourite robin (we call her gate robin) has a fledgling that is still insisting loudly that it be fed. Watch for them opposite our play area.
The pair of mute swans still have their one cygnet in tow on Arun Riverlife. The male kingfisher here on the lagoon is still taking fish into the nesting hole on the bank to feed a second brood. We are watching them closely.
A one hour butterfly survey on Wednesday had a count of 61 butterflies of 10 different species.
Wed 9 Aug
Scrape hide: 1male kingfisher, 2 coots, 2 moorhens, 1 wren13 mallards, 1 gadwall, 3 wood pigeons, 1 blue tit, 3 carrion crow, 1 chiffchaff, 1 blackbird, 1 green finch, 2 bullfinches, 1 golfinch, 1 little grebe, 1 magpie goose, 1 reed warbler, 1 teal
Sand martin hide: 15 sand martins, 1 grey heron, 1 pochard
Ramsar hide: 2 gadwall, 1 grey wagtail, 1 kingfisher, 2 little egret, 7 cattle egret
Arun Riverlife lagoon: pair of mute swans and 1 cygnet
Pelican cove: 2 grey wagtails, 2 oystercatchers, 1 gadwall, 2 tufted duck
Woodland Loop: 1 black cap
Willow sphere: 3 gadwall, 1 mandarin duck
Butterfly survey: 61 butterflies 11:06 am-12.19 pm
- 10 brimstone
- 3 large white
- 6 small white
- 1 green-veined white
- 5 common blue
- 4 holly blue
- 3 red admiral
- 4 speckled wood
- 9 gatekeepers
- 15 meadow brown
Tues 8 Aug
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 20 sand martins, 28 black-headed gulls, 2 moorhens, 4 tufted ducks, 10 goldfinches, 3 mandarin ducks, 1 little egrets, 7 gadwall, 1 grey heron, 8 mallards, 5 coots, 1 kestrel, 4 Canada geese, 2 wood pigeons.
Arun Riverlife: 1 male kingfisher
Mon 7 Aug
Arun Riverlife: 1 male kingfisher
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 1 cattle egret
Sun 6 Aug
Wetland Discovery: 1 coot, 2 goldfinches, 1 mallard, 1 sedge warbler
Reedbed boardwalk: 1 green woodpecker
Arun Riverlife: 1 male kingfisher
Ramsar hides: 4 house martins, 2 cattle egrets.
Sat 5 Aug
Arun Riverlife: 1 male kingfisher
Ramsar hide: 4 cattle egrets, 1 cattle egrets, 1 sand martin perched in a tree
Pelican Cove: 2 oystercatchers
Wetlands Discovery: 1 barn owl spotted by boat driver early afternoon.
Arun Riverlife: 3 mute swans, 12 coots, 1 moor hen, 38 mallards, 4 black headed gulls.
Fri 4 Aug
Wood Loop: 16 mallards, 4 long-tailed tits, 4 moorhen, 1 coot, 4 chaffinch, 1 rbin, 1 blackbird, 3 great tits, 2 wren, 1 blue tits
Ramsar hide: 2 cattle egrets.
Thurs 3 Aug
Reedbed boardwalk: 4 mallards, 3 reed warblers, 1 tree creeper, 1 moorhen, 3 blue tits
Willow sphere: 22 mallards, 2 gadwall, 1 teal, 2 tufted ducks, 1 mandarin
Ramsar hide: 3 cattle egrets.
