New ducklings, dragons and butterflies
The oystercatcher pair with their one chick have left the island outside Coastal Creek aviary for the shelter of the trees in the Lakes & Forest exhibit.
The other oystercatcher pair are still on the island at the Sand Martin hide but we can’t see chicks as the weeds are so high now. Lots of tufted ducklings and mallard ducklings have hatched recently, likely second broods. Lots of broad-bodied chaser dragonflies out in Wednesday’s sunshine. Lots of red admirals, meadow brown butterflies out plus a small tortoiseshell butterfly.
Friday 18 June
Lapwing hide: barn owl, perching inside the hide then flew across wet grassland
Ramsar hide ditch: grey heron, outside front of Ramsar hide
Wood Loop: 4 goldfinches, 3 chaffinches, 1 great spotted woodpecker, 5 Canada geese, 4 great tits, 3 blue tits, 1 wren, 1 robin, 1 adult and 1 juvenile pheasant
Sat 19 June
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 7 male mallards, 2 male and one female tufted ducks, 6 Canada geese, 7 adult black headed gulls with three well grown chicks, female coot with chick, a male gadwall
Offham hangar: 1 peregrine
Ramsar and sand Martin hides: 1 Egyptian goose, 1 female gadwall with 1 duckling a few days old, 1 tufted duck with 5 part grown ducklings, a female pochard, and 4 sand martins.
Willow screen: 1 mallard with 7 ducklings a few days old
Sun 20 June
Wetland Discovery: 5 male and 2 female mallards, 1 greylag goose, 4 Canada geese, 1 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler, 3 blue tits
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 female pochard, 1 cattle egret, 1 female tufted with 1 part grown, 1 female duckling with 5 part grown duckling, 1 female mallard with 2 ducklings 2-3 days old.
Scrape hide: 1 female tufted duck with ducklings 2-3 days old, 1 tufted duck with 9 ducklings newly hatched
Lond path: 1 white throat singing from a tree top
Lakes and Forests: 2 adult and 1 juvenile oystercatchers - moved over from the Coastal Creek island.
Reedbed: 4 adult oystercatchers over the reedbed shouting
Mon 21 June
Lapwing hide: barn owl, 1 oystercatcher flying off over the Arun River
Arun riverlife: 1 kingfisher going into hole #5 on the nesting bank
Tuesday 22
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 3 coots, 3 shoveler, 18 tufted ducks - 14 male 4 female and one duckling, 9 gadwall, 2 adult oystercatchers on the island, 3 cackling geese, 12 and martins, 4 black-headed gulls, 2 mute swans.
Wetland Discovery: 6 swifts
Wed 23 June
Pelican Cove: 1 grey wagtail
Lakes & Forests: 1 pair of gadwall, 3 oystercatchers 2 adults and 1 chick
Wood Loop: 2 moorhen adults with 8 chicks
Reedbed: 2 adult water rail with 1 chick
Scrape hide: 2 Canada geese, 33 adult black-headed geese with 5 chicks, 2 adult coots, 7 male tufted ducks and 2 females with 2 ducklings, 1 female mallard,1 male blackcap singing, 1 gadwall
Sand martin hide: 2 male tufted ducks with 1 female and 4 ducklings, 22 male and 8 female gadwall, 1 male shoveler, 1 grey heron, 10 sand martins
Ramsar hide: 2 pair of gadwall, 1 little egret
