Kingfisher sightings & moulting ducks
For the past week the kingfishers have been showing well down near the Lapwing hide and that end of the boat safari. This kingfisher photo was sent by visitor Susie Gander.
For the past week the kingfishers have been showing well down near the Lapwing hide and along the channels of the boat safari. This kingfisher photo was sent by visitor Susie Gander.The Reserve team think the youngsters on Arun Riverlife must have flegded, leaving the nest and moving out onto the site.
It is more difficult to spot wild ducks as they are now in eclipse plumage and go into hiding. Most wildfowl replace their feathers at least once a year by moulting. Ducks moult their flight feathers all at once and cannot fly for six weeks. This moult takes place between June and October after breeding season for each species. The drakes (male ducks) assume a dull or eclipse plumage and look like females, providing camouflage while they are flightless and vulnerable to predators. Females are permanently camouflaged so that they are harder to see while nesting. Our Wetland Breeding bird survey on Mon 26 July counted what wildfowl we were able to see that morning on the reserve.
Butterfly survey on Wed 28 July had 104 butterflies including an Essex skipper.
Sun 1 August
Wetland Discovery: 5 mallards
Scrape hide: 1 little grebe.
Sat 31 July
Arun Riverlife: 10 mallards, 11 Canada geese, 1 coot, 14 black-headed gulls, 3 moorhens
Ramsar hide: 4 shoveler, 1 pintail, 10 sand martins
Wetland Discovery: 1 four spotted chaser dragonfly
Fri 30 July
Wood Loop: 1 great spotted woodpecker, 4 moorhens, 7 chaffinches including 3 juveniles, 2 adult mallards with 4 youngsters, 6 goldfinches, 8 blue tits, 1 greylag, 1 great tit.
Thursday 29 July
11 male & 2 female glow worms along the car park edges and swales
Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher on the perch, bathing then flew off.
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 12 sand martins
Reedbed: 5 mallards, 6 gadwall
Wed 28 July
Arun Riverlife: 1 shoveler
Pelican cove: 1 pochard
Wood Loop: 1 great spotted woodpecker, 1 mistle thrush, 2 greenfinch
Scrape hide: 1 greylag goose, 1 shoveler, 9 mallards, 2 reed warblers, 1 goldfinch, 4 sand martins, 1 coot, 1 blue tit, 1 black cap, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 greenfinch
Sand martin hide: 20 sand martins, 2 tufted ducks
Ramsar hide: 2 tufted ducks, 2 shoveler
Wetland Discovery: 1 tree creeper
Perimeter fence: 1 sparrowhawk
Butterfly Survey
9 species for a total of 104 butterflies
- 1 Essex skipper
- 6 large white
- 4 small white
- 1 common blue
- 9 red admirals
- 21 peacocks
- 1 speckled wood
- 21 gatekeepers
- 39 meadow browns
Tues 27 July
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 1 little egret, 1 shoveler, 3 mallards, 24 black-headed gulls, 2 common gulls, 2 coots, 2 moorhens, 9 Canada geese, 1 tufted duck, 6 Sand martins
Scrape hide: 2 teal
Mon 26 July
Purple Emperor butterfly near the giant nest
Wetland Breeding bird Survey:
- 256 mallards
- 20 coots
- 31 moorhens
- 3 mute swans
- 9 tufted ducks
- 1 teal
- 2 gadwall
- 1 pochard
- 4 manadarin
- 23 Canada geese
- 18 greylag geese
- 2 shoveler
- 1 kingfisher
- 33 black-headed gulls
- 1 lesser black-backed gull
- 1 Med. gull
- 3 Egyptian geese
- 2 little egrets
- 1 grey heron
