Latest sightings

Sand martins arriving
Sand martins started filtering through this week. Last Tuesday we saw eight in the late afternoon, four on Thursday and 10 on Good Friday. There are likely more than this moving through –this is just what our wardens counted while working. Warblers si
16 April 2022

Second kingfisher pair nesting onsite
A second pair of kingfishers seem to be nesting in artificial bank of the Sand martin hide. They have beat the sand martins to the space this year but there is plenty of room on the other side of the bank. We should be seeing sand martins moving through s
7 April 2022

Oystercatcher pair about
A pair of oystercatchers are appearing regularly at the Sand martin hide and the old Tundra pen on the corner. They have nested at both sites in previous years so this may be that same pair. Kingfishers have been using the perch in front of the Sand marti
31 March 2022

Great egret & a crowd of cattle egrets
A great egret was back onsite last week making appearances at the Scrap hide through Sunday. Six cattle egrets spent the afternoon on the cobbled island opposite the Ramsar hide on Tuesday afternoon, photographed by volunteer Andy Burns.Kingfishers are s
24 March 2022

Busy Woodloop feeders a sign of spring
The bird feeders in the Woodland Loop have been getting busier as more songbirds arrive. The pair of kingfishers are still on the nesting bank on the Arun Riverlife lagoon. Lapwing sightings are increasing on the wet grassland -this photo from volunteer A
16 March 2022

Kingfishers on Arun Riverlife delight visitors
The kingfisher pair continue to show well on the perches near their nesting bank on Arun Riverlife. At least one has been showing on the perch each day. Last Thursday both kingfishers were visible and a pair of oyster catchers were on the lagoon as well.
10 March 2022

Kingfisher pair back at the nesting bank
Pick up our Wildlife Observation cards to help us keep an eye on the kingfisher pair who have made the Arun Riverlife lagoon their territory. The pair were sitting on the far right perch in front on the nesting bank on Wednesday morning around 11 for q
3 March 2022

Jack snipe at Ramsar & kingfishers courting
A pair of kingfishers have been very active on Arun Riverlife lagoon this week. They have been investigating holes on the nesting bank, perching in front of it and in the trees around the lagoon and on the roof of the visitor centre. The pair have been ca
17 February 2022

Teal & lapwing back on Arun lagoon as project finishes
The Arun Lagoon Project is almost complete. Water has been allowed to slowly flow back into the lagoon since Fri 4 Feb and already birds are moving in. Good numbers of Lapwing have returned (110), eight Mediterranean Gulls are also present amongst other g
10 February 2022

Flock of lapwing & a flush of snipe
Our wardens spotted the glossy ibis back at the Scrape hide on Monday morning at 8 am. That was the last recorded sighting of it here onsite. Monday’s warm sun also brought a red admiral butterfly out of hibernation along the reedbed boardwalk among the
3 February 2022

Glossy ibis drops in for a long visit
A glossy ibis dropped into the fen at the left hand side of the Scrape hide last Sunday morning and has been spotted there off and on this week. We are seeing the ibis in the mornings and late afternoons to roost and it seems to be ranging about during th
26 January 2022

Shelduck and teal numbers up
There is still an abundance of stonechats on and around the wet grassland, redwing and goldfinch amongst the hedgerows and egrets (both little and cattle) roosting in trees from dusk onwards. The odd wigeon is making an appearance from the Scrape Hide
19 January 2022

Water rail at three spots onsite
Our Media volunteer Andrew Burns spotted water rail at three places yesterday (Wed 12 Jan). There were two water rail in the old Trumpeter Pen on the approach to the Scrape hide, one to the left of the Lapwing hide and the water rail that frequents the Wo
13 January 2022

Happy New Year!
Swans and ducks took last week's spring-like weather to heart and engaged in territory battles and mating behaviours. The cold weather this week has cooled things down a bit with birds back focused on feeding and staying warm. Listed here are recent sight
5 January 2022

Great egret & cattle egrets around
Lots of sighting of the great egret this week and some were cattle egret seen at the Scrape hide as well. This photo of a great egret perched in a tree was taken by Debra Flynn Ducks are pairing up with more teal around over the past week. Works continue
29 December 2021