Bounty of cygnets
The mute swans sitting on their huge nest in the entrance reedbed welcomed their cygnets into the world last weekend. Visitors have been admiring the pair from the nearby entry boardwalk before coming into the visitors centre and ave been wondering about their 'due date'. Another pair of mute swans have been nesting in the Wetlands Discovery area where the boats tour but their nest is well hidden - we haven't seen it yet.
The oystercatchers on the island at the Coastal Creek aviary are still sitting tight. Near Ramsar hide a female lapwing is sitting opposite while a female gadwall is sitting closer to the hide. The lapwing at lapwing hide have been nest scraping and mating again so their first clutches may have been unsuccessful.
Recenet sightings from our wardens.
Wed 19 May
Arun Riverlife: 6 pochard, 1 grey wagtail, 5 tufted ducks, 1 gadwall
Coastal Creek: pair of oystercatcher
New Trumpeter Pen: 1 gadwall
Wood Loop: 1 water rail, 2 mandarin, 1 chiffchaff
Reedbed hide: 1 reed bunting
Scrape hide: 2 reed warblers singing, 1 chiffchaff male singing, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 55 black-headed gulls, 2 pairs of tufted ducks, 2 moorhen, a pair of lapwing, 9 mallards, 2 coots, 2 pairs of gadwall, 1 sedge warbler male singing
Sky above hides: c40 swifts, c60 sand martins, c20 swallows.
Sand martin hide: 7 tufted ducks, 1 pochard, 8 gadwall, a pair of oystercatchers, 3 shovelers, 4 pochards, 2 tufted ducks, 2 gadwall, 2 lapwing, 1 Med. Gull, 3 cattle egrets
Lapwing hide: 6 tufted ducks, 3 lapwing (one pair and one male), 1 reed bunting,
5 tufted ducks.
Tues 18 May
Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher at nesting bank perches,
Reptile Survey tins: 5 grass snakes
Wetland Discovery: 2 red admiral butterflies
Lapwing hide: 3 pairs of lapwing
Ramsar & Sand Martin hides: 26 Canada geese with goslings, 45 grey lag geese, 1 cackling goose, 9 male and 5 female gadwall, 14 male and 6 female tufted ducks, 1 male shoveler, 2 pairs of pochard, 9 male and 3 female mallards, a pair of lapwing with female sitting, 56 black-headed gull, 1 oystercatcher on right island, 2 sand martins going into holes.
Scrape hide: 1 male and 2 female pochard, pair of lapwing
Mon 17 May
Reedbed hide: pair of pochard
Scrape hide: 1 male lapwing on fen cut
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: oystercatcher pair on right island, 2 male and 3 female pochard, 2 lesser black-backed gull, swifts overhead, 1 pair of lapwing female sitting
Lapwing hide: 3 male and 2 female lapwing – one female sitting and one pair mating., 5 tufted ducks, 2 male gadwall, 3 pairs of mallard with 2 ducklings, 3 pairs Canada and 5 goslings, pair of coots with 2 chicks, 8 greylag geese with 10 goslings.
Reptile Survey tins: 4 grass snakes
Wetland Discovery: pair of mute swans with cygnets
Entry reedbed: Mute swan pair with cygnets
Sun 16 May
Arun Riverlife: 2 kingfishers at nesting bank
Wetland Discovery area: 2 mute swans with cygnets. 8 mallards, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 2 chiffchaff, 3 tufted ducks, 2 Canada geese with goslings, 1 pochard, 1 coot
Lapwing hide 2 pair lapwing nest scraping.
Ramsar hide: 1 male lapwing
Sand martin hide: 2 oystercatchers on left island.
Scrape hide: 1 female lapwing, 2 pairs of pochard
Sat 15 May
Scrape hide:pair of lapwing
Ramsar hide: 1 lapwing
Wetland Discovery: 1 kingfisher
Lapwing hide: 2 male lapwing displaying
Arun Riverlife: 2 grey wagtails, 32 black-headed gulls, 7 herring gulls, 3 mallards, 4 Canada geese with 4 goslings, 2 greylag geese, 4 tufted ducks, 1 male lapwing, 2 shelducks, and 2 pochards
New Trumpeters Pen: 1 Mandarin with 4 duckling
Fri 14 May
Wood Loop: 3 mallards, 2 moorhens, 3 chaffinch, 1 water rail, 2 blue tits, 1 great spotted woodpecker. 2 mandarins, 1 wren, 2 woodpigeon
Scrape hide: 1 pochard
Ramsar & Sand Martin: 2 oystercatchers pair on left island, 2 lapwing, 2 cackling geese
Lapwing hide:2male and one female lapwing
Around the site c30 swallows, c50 house martins, c20 sand martins all over water bodies hawking insects.
