Young families still about
Friday the thirteenth was a lucky day as we spotted three kingfishers all around the site throughout the day!
This was likely the male and female from Arun Riverlife hole #5 in the nesting bank and their fledged youngsters. There are still young families about – we’ve spotted a little grebe with a juvenile on the Arun Riverlife lagoon and two tufted duck females have ducklings on Pelican Cove.
A grey heron had an epic battle last week near the Ramsar hide with an eel who didn’t want to go quietly! Thanks to Mike Young for the great photos at the bottom of the page.
Recent sightings recorded by WWT wardens:
Tues 17 Aug
Arun Riverlife: 1 little grebe
Scrape hide: 2 shoveler, 2 teal
Ramsar hide: 3 little egrets, 10 sand martins, 6 black-headed gulls, 1 grey heron, 3 mallards, 2 coots, 1 moorhen, and 2 Canada geese
Mon 16 Aug
Ramsar hide: 2 little egrets
Lapwing hide: grey heron, 1 pheasant
Sun 15 Aug
Arun Riverlife: 2 little grebe (adult and a juvenile), 1 grey heron, 2 kingfishers
Wetland Discovery: 3 mallards, 2 sand martins, 1 kingfisher
Sand Martin hide: 10 sand martins
Tufted ducks: 2 females with 4 ducklings
Sat 14 Aug
Wetland Discovery: 1 kingfisher
Ramsar hide: little egrets, 4 sand martins
Arun Riverlife: 1 common sandpiper, 20 black-headed gulls, 3 Canada geese, 12 coots, 1 mute swan, 30 mallards, 1 little grebe
Fri 13 Aug
Arun Riverlife: 2 little grebes, 3 kingfishers (also seen in Wetland Discovery and Lagoon between Ramsar & Sand Martin hides)
Ramsar hide: 2 little egrets
Tranquil Trail: 2 bullfinches
Scrape hide: 1 little grebe
Wood Loop: 3 moorhens, 4 mallards, 1 blackbird, 5 blue tits, 1 mandarin, 1 Great tit
Wed 11 August
Arun riverlife: 1 kingfisher, 1 grey heron
Grey heron and eel in combat Photos by Mike Young