Cattle egret chicks
While checking the Cattle Egret nests last week, the Reserve Team saw that there were seven nests. All chicks are now fledged and exercising their wings in the trees.
Our media volunteer Andrew Burns capture some clips of a pair of the youngsters getting their breakfast, and one juvenile down on one of the islands. Scroll to the bottom of the wildlife sightings for video.
Lapwing are begun returning to the site for the autumn. The Reserve Team counted 32 lapwing on Monday morning and at least 25 of these were juveniles. Despite their breeding attempts being unsuccessful at WWT Arundel this year, they have bred in other areas nearby. Look out for them from Sand Martin hide on the islands, especially in the morning and late afternoon. Thanks Robert Maxwell for this lapwing photo from his visit last week.
We were becoming blasé about seeing great white egrets onsite until we saw some great whites in breeding plumage! Their bill is black, the facial lore is lime green and they have red legs! Quite a change from the yellow bill and black legs we are used to on the other great whites.
Wed 9 October
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide large lagoon: 1 great white egret in breeding plummage, 12 cattle egrets, 11 shovelers, 1 kingfisher, 3 teal
Scrape hide: 1 great white egret, 2 Canada geese, 18 mallards, 1 coot, 1 moorhen, 34 gadwall, 4 water rails, 1 Cetti's warbler, 1 wren, 1 little grebe, 2 shoveler, 1 marsh harrier
Woodland Loop: 2 mistle thrush.
Tues 8 October
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide large lagoon: 1 grey heron, 4 black-headed gulls, 2 herring gulls, 1 kestrel, 1 kingfisher, 5 cattle egrets, 2 cormorants, 36 mallards, 9 shoveler,6 gadwall, 9 shoveler, 6 gadwall, 4 teal, 1 moorhen, 2 coots, 2 Cetti's warblers, 6 wood pigeon, 1 water rail, 27 lapwing, 1 great white egret in breeding plumage.
Wet Grassland: 1 great white egret
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 2 male pochards
Wetlands Discovery: 1 green woodpecker.
Mon 7 October
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide large lagoon: 1 great white egret in breeding plumage, 15 shoveler, 5 Egyptian geese, 1 water rail, 7 cattle egrets, 32 lapwing
Scrape hide: 1 great white egret.
Sun 6 Oct
Robin Gate: 1 water rail
Wetland Discovery: 2 coots, 1 pochard, 1 wren, 1 pheasant, 4 mallards, 1 kestrel, 1 hobby, 1 red kite 1 buzzard, 1 peregrine (raptors spotted by our boat driver Clive)
Scrape hide: 1 shoveller,
Long Path: green woodpecker, 8 teal, 9 shoveler, 8 cattle egrets, 2 kingfishers, 1 great white egret in breeding plumage, 1 kestrel, 5 lapwing.
Sat 5 Oct
Arun Riverlife: 21 mallards, 19 Canada geese, 1 mute swan
Pelican Cove: 16 coots
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide large lagoon: 5 snipe, 1 water rail, 1 great white egret in breeding plumage, 12 cattle egrets 2 juveniles spotted, 46 lapwing, 1 teal, 2 wigeon, 3 shovelers, 1 jay, 2 Egyptian geese
Scrape Hide: 1 great white egret, 2 wigeon, 4 teal, 1 little grebe, 1 shoveler
Long Path: ivy bee
Cattle Egret Chicks at WWT Arundel from Ramsar Hide
