Bat trapping and grass snakes
Despite the changeable weather, we have seen an abundance of Grass Snakes with one of our refugia found with up to six snakes at a time taking advantage of it’s warmth. Common Lizards have also been spotted basking along rails on the Long Path fence. We await the emergence of toadlets from the entrance pond and surrounding ditches on a damp day sometime this month!
We recently had Sussex bat group on site in the hope of harp trapping Nathusius’ pipistrelle for radio tagging. This species of bat is migratory and licenced bat worker, Professor Fiona Mathews, was hoping to tag these bats in order to gain more information about their movements. Unfortunately, it was a little late in the season to catch this particular species, however the survey did bring two male Whiskered bats and six female Soprano pipistrelles, four of which were pregnant. (see pic above) The reserve team generally combine bat surveys with Glow Worm surveys and whilst it is still a little early for Glow Worms, we were treated to two vocal Tawny owlets branching in a tree on the edge of the car park.
Recent Wildlife Sightings:
Wed 19 June
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 tufted duck
Pelican cove: 1 tufted duck
Reedswamp exhibit: 4 tufted ducks
Lakes and Forests exhibit: 2 gadwalls
Meadow Pond: 1 mandarin, 2 tufted ducks
Long path: 1 red kite flying over
Reedbed Willow sphere: 6 gadwall, 1 tufted duck
Scrape hide: 1 carrion crow, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 2 reed warblers, 2 moorhens, 7 shoveler ducks, 2 oystercatchers, 2 wood pigeons, 6 mallards, 6 gadwalls, 4 tufted ducks, 1 reed bunting, 1 dunnock, 2 coots, 1 sedge warbler, 1 goldfinch, 2 greenfinches, 1 herring gull, 1 chiffchaff
Sand martin hide: 14 gadwalls, 4 tufted ducks, c50 sand martins
Bewick’s swan exhibit: 2 mandarin ducks
Ramsar hide: 1 cormorant, 8 gadwall, 1 mandarin duck, 2 tufted ducks, 3 cattle egrets, 3 little egrets
Lapwing hide: 4 gadwall, 2 linnets
Wetland Discovery: 1 grass snake
Tues 18 June
Black rabbit triangle: 1 firecrest
Ramsar and Sand martin hide lagoon: 3 coots, 6 black-headed gulls, 15 gadwalls, 1 mallard, 1 cackling goose, 1 moorhen, 1 sedge wrbler, 1 goldfinch, 3 little egrets, 1 Canada goose, 1 tufted duck, 1 cormorant, 1 wren, 1 carrion crow, 27 sand martins
Scrape hide: 2 mute swans plus 5 cygnets, 7 shoveler ducks
Willow sphere: 3 tufted ducks and 2 ducklings
Arun Rivelfe lagoon: 11 black-headed gulls plus 8 chicks
Wetland discovery: 1 clubtail dragomfly
Woodland Loop: 1 sparrowhawk
Mon 17 June
Wetland Discovery: 1 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler, 2 blue tuts
Wet Grassland: 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 cormorant, 1 coot, 3 goldfinches, 1 greylag goose, 4 wood pigeon, 6 mallards plus three duckling, 1 jackdaw, 2 chiffchaff, 2 blackbirds, 1 dunnock
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 pochard
Woodland Loop: 1 moorhen, 1 great spotted woodpecker
Pelican Cove: 2 oystercatchers on Arun Riverlife chick taken by a carrion crow in the morning.
Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher
