Latest sightings

Fledged sand martin & more kingfishers

Fledged sand martin & more kingfishers

Demoiselle spotted from the Wetlands Discovery Boat Safari by visitor Rachel Calver Late August is a time of transition around the wetland reserve.  Summery species like red admiral butterflies, holly blues and brown

23 August 2017

Sand martin nest, kingfishers return & martins on the move

Sand martin nest, kingfishers return & martins on the move

Sand martins checking out nest holes in the sand martin hide in previous years. This is the weekly wildlife sightings blog by Reserve Manager Paul Stevens. When sand martins began to check out the holes in our artific

8 August 2017

Rarae aquatic plants and an abundance of bats

Rarae aquatic plants and an abundance of bats

Weekly wildlife blog from WWT Arundel Wetland Centre by Reserve Manager Paul Stevens. On Saturday David had 12 kingfisher sightings during his morning guide in the hide session! He also spotted a juvenile redshank and a common sandpiper all from the Ramsa

1 August 2017

Clubtail dragonfly is back

Clubtail dragonfly is back

A clubtail dragonfly photographed along the Wetland Discovery Boat Safari on Sat 8 July by WWT guide & driver Simon Wotton   The elusive Gomphus vulgatissimus is back at Arundel Wetland Centre. Boat driver Si

11 July 2017

Bat survey, wildflower walk & squabbling oystercatchers

Bat survey, wildflower walk & squabbling oystercatchers

Get your macro lenses - the ruby tailed wasps are out! The following is Paul Steven's weekly Wildlife Sightings column that appears in the Chichester Observer newspaper. Our Guides-in-the-Hide David Harper spotted an

3 July 2017

Thousands of toadlets emerge

Thousands of toadlets emerge

Heavy rain prompted a mass emergence of toadlets at Arundel Wetland Centre It rained heavily in Arundel last Thursday morning. The dense rain signalled ‘go’ to the toadlets living in the reedbed at the entrance to

29 June 2017

Ruby-tailed wasps and emerging dragonflies

Ruby-tailed wasps and emerging dragonflies

  A four-spotted chaser perches at the raised pond This is the weekly Wildlife Sightings column by Paul Sevens, as it appears in the Chichester Observer Newspaper June 22, 2107 A bright male bullfinch on the wir

22 June 2017

Wild orchids, sand martins & tufted ducklings

Wild orchids, sand martins & tufted ducklings

Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly On Monday morning I spotted three sand martins inspecting the nesting holes in the artificial sand banks of the Sand Martin hide. This is the third sighting of sand martins checking out t

6 June 2017

Dragonflies beginning to emerge

Dragonflies beginning to emerge

A newly emerged broad-bodied chaser dragonfly. A kingfisher has made a reappearance at the Scrape hide, along the boat safari channels and at the Tundra Pen. This male is stopping in for quick fishing trips and is tak

18 May 2017

Nest building Linnets & lesser spotted woodpecker

Nest building Linnets & lesser spotted woodpecker

  Male Shoveler . Our wardens did a  diving and dabbling ducks survey at Arundel Wetland Centre on Monday morning. The number of males in each species gives us an idea of how many possible pairs could be breedin

8 May 2017

Busy week of wildlife surveys

Busy week of wildlife surveys

I have had a busy week doing wildlife surveys of the reserve at Arundel Wetland Centre. During the bat survey I did last Thursday night I picked up three species on the detectors. I heard soprano pipistrelles, the rarer Nathusius' pipistrelles and Daubent

2 May 2017

Wed 12 - Fri 14 Sightings

Wed 12 - Fri 14 Sightings

Mallard ducklings by Jamie MacCallum Look out  for mallard duckling and greylag goslings now hatching out around the reserve. Friday 14 April Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: lapwing, shelduck, greylag geese, black-he

14 April 2017

Recent spring sightings

Recent spring sightings

So ugly they're cute! Moorhen and coot chicks are hatch around the grounds. Photo: Susan Lamb Mon 10 April Lapwing hide: lapwing, teal, shoveler, Grey heron, mallard Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: snipe, lapwing, oyst

10 April 2017

Lapwings on eggs, long-tailed tits feathering their nests

Lapwings on eggs, long-tailed tits feathering their nests

  Peacock butterfly from Rob Collins ON THE WET grassland between the Lapwing and Ramsar hides our surveyors have counted four lapwing pairs with nests that are sitting on eggs. Lapwings raise one brood a year bu

6 April 2017

Great crested grebes & garganey

Great crested grebes & garganey

The great crested grebe on Arun Riverlife photo by Colin Knight (2016) Sunday 26 March Top bird of the moment is a summer visiting duck the Garganey. A cracking male showed at the scrape hide and then the Ramsar and

27 March 2017