What's wild Monday 6 March
Monday 6 March at Arundel Wetland Centre
with Paul Stevens
Two pairs of lapwings are getting ready to nest on the Wet Grassland opposite our Lapwing hide. On Monday morning I watched the two male lapwings 'nest scraping' while their females looked on. These waders nest in a shallow scrape directly on the ground, laying four or five mottled eggs that look like stones. They nest is the open areas with a good sight-lines to watch for predators. There will likely be up to 8 pairs nesting on the wet grassland here. They will all take to the air together to mob any predators, while their chicks flatten themselves to the ground when they hear a parent’s warning cry.
Two male lapwings are still battling for territory over Arun Riverlife. There is only territory for one pair out there and each is trying to dominate, clashing in aerial displays of wild whistling and rolls on Monday morning. The great egret and a grey heron fished at opposite ends of the water, undisturbed by this commotion.
The oystercatcher pair near Sand Martin hide are getting established. A lone male oystercatcher is hanging out in the recently cut area to the left of the hide. I watched him take a long display flight, a loop from the hide, over the Mill Stream trees and back again, giving a harsh-pipping call, a typical of oystercatcher greeting.
Other signs of spring around site on Monday morning is the coltsfoot is flowering. A pair of wood pigeons are nest building in the Reedbed hide – I startled them and they me when I entered the hide this morning and they went out the windows. I saw the red admiral butterfly again too – could it be the same early riser I saw fresh from hibernation last week? In the reedbed I heard the song of a reed bunting. I saw two shoveler ducks at the Ramsar hide and another four at the Scrape hide, these six birds were all in pairs.
When I entered the Ramsar this morning hide two snipe took off from the low cut area in front of the hide windows. While I pondered this a little grebe popped up out of the water giving a shrill ‘giggle’ which drew my attention.
Sunday 5 March sightings
Arun Riverlife: great egret, 7 pochard, 15 tufted duck, 2 lapwing, black-headed gull, Canada geese, greylag geese
Wetlands Discovery: 2 pochard, 4 tufted duck, buzzard
Ramsar hide: 6 lapwing, shelduck, black-headed gull, 8 tufted duck, bullfinch, snipe, teal, pochard, common gull, gadwall, lesser black-backed gull
Lapwing hide: 12 teal, Canada geese, greylag geese
Scrape hide: oystercatcher, 4 shelduck, 2 shoveler, 2 teal, little grebe
