Abundance of goldcrests and a few firecrest too

We continue to have big numbers of goldcrests onsite as wintering birds come down from the north to swell the ranks. Birds of prey were showing well over the weekend with a barn owl over Arun Riverlife Lagoon, buzzards on the hangar, with sparrow hawk and kestrel sightings.

Here are some recent sightings by WWT wardens:

Sunday 12 Jan

Arun Riverlife: 6 pochard, 1 little grebe, 1 barn owls (3.30pm) 1 pipistrelle bat 4.30 pm.

Wetland Dicovery: 2 pochard, 2 tufted ducks, 1 kestrel

Ramsar hide: 15 snipe, 14 shoveler, 3 pochards, 2 Mediterranean gulls, flock of 50 lapwing touched down briefly.

Offham Hanger: 4 buzzards - 3 males displaying one female, 1 peregrine.

Reedbed: sparrow hawks, marsh harriers.

Sat 11 Jan

Ramsar hide: 6 snipe, 4 lapwing, 4 pochards, 3 Egyptian geese.

Long path: kingfisher

Arun Riverlife: 1 little egret, 1 little grebe, 3 pochards, 2 tufted duck, 1 grey heron, 1 cormorant

Fri 10 Jan

Arun Riverlife: 2 cormorants

Sand Martin hide: 8 shoveler (afternoon)

Wed 8 Jan

Arun Rverlife: 4 pochard

Ramsar hide: 13 snipe, 4 lapwing, 3 wigeon, 4 pochard

Scrape hide: 2 shelducks, 3 shoveler, 74 teal 40 males, 34 females, 6 gadwall.

Reedbed hide: 1 little egret

Tues 7 Jan

Arun Riverlife: 1 little grebe

Wetland Discovery: 1 little egret, 1 kingfisher

Ramsar/Sand Martin hide: 4 lapwing, 16 snipe, 23 teal, 14 shelduck, 15 shoveler, 10 tufted ducks, 3 cormorants, 13 gadwall, 26 common gull

Scrape hide: 29 teal -23 male 6 female, 2 gadwall, 2 shelducks.

• Share this article