Scrape hide getting busier
This week we have noticed sightings picking up at the Scrape hide with little grebes, heron, tufted ducks and shovelers appearing regularly. The Scrape hide gets busier in autumn so the seaons may be starting to shift.
A moth survey this morning recorded this lovely Oak Eggar. Yesterday in the car park we had a Devils Coach Horse beetle, raisng its abdomen up to look scary, like a scorpion. They don't sting but can give you a nasty nip with those large mandibles. (see pic at the bottom of page)
Recent sights and surveys
Wed 11 Aug
Moth survey
- 2 common fuchsia
- 2 oak eggar
- 1 elephant hawkmoth
- 1 ruby tiger
- 13 rosy footman
- 30 dingy footman
- 3 willow beauty
- 1 grey dagger2 yellow tail
- 5 pale prominent
- 4 cloudy border1 silver y
- 3 spotted footman
- 3 poplar hawkmoth
- 2 swallow prominent
- 2 mother of pearl
- 3 nut-tree tussock
- 6 black arches
- 3 coxcomb prominent
- 6 pebble prominent
- 3 buff footman
- 3 drinkers
- 5 smoky waistcoat
- 1 dusty thorn
- 1 brown tail
- 1 box tree
- 2 common waistcoat
- 1 lesser swallow prominent
- 3 flame shoulder
- 2 spectacle
- 1 clouded border.
Tues 10 Aug
Ramsar hide: 8 mallards, 1 mandarin, 1 kingfisher, 2 coots, 3 little egrets, 3 black0-headed gulls, 8+ sand martins
Scrape hide: 1 little grebe, 2 shoveler, 1 grey heron, 4 teal
Pelican cove: 2 female tufted ducks with clutches of ducklings.
Mon 9 Aug
Lapwing hide: 1 grey heron, 2 gadwall, 10 Dexter cattle
Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 5 shoveler
Sun 8 Aug
Discovery hide on Arun Riverlife lagoon: 3 tufted ducks, 1 little grebe, 2 mute swans, 22 Canada geese, 1 greylag goose, 6 mallards, 9 coots, 13 black-headed gulls, 2 kingfishers (pair)
Sat 7 Aug
Ramsar ide: 9 black-headed gulls
Sand martin hide: 2 teal, 1 moorhen
Discovery hide on Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 mute swans, 6 Canada geese, 6 coots, and 22 black-headed gulls.
Fri 6 Aug
Wood Loop: 8 blue tits including juveniles, 2 great tits, 7 moorhens including juveniles, 1 mandarin duck, 8 mallards including juveniles,, 6 chaffinch including juveniles, 1 greenfinch, 12 goldfinches including juveniles, 1 greylag goose
Scrape Hide: 7 shoveler, 2 teal, 1 little grebe
Wetland Discovery: 1 female tufted duckling with 7 ducklings
Thurs 5 Aug
Reedbed hide: 5 goldfinches, 1 bullfinch
Wildlife garden (opposite) 3 kingfishers
Ramsar hide: 1 common sandpiper
Reedbed boardwalk: 5 reed warblers, 2 great-spotted woodpecker, 4 sedge warblers, 1 white throat
Wood Loop: 3 mandarin ducks
Sussex Screen: 2 bullfinches, 2 wrens, 5 long tailed tits, 1 black cap
Butterfly Survey
66 butterflies in total
- 12 large whites
- 16 red admirals
- 1 painted lady
- 10 peacocks
- 1 speckled wood
- 3 gatekeeper
- 23 meadow browns
Wed 4 Aug
Black Rabbit triangle: chalk hill blue butterfly, brown argus butterfly, emperor moth caterpillar.
Car park: 3 bullfinches 1 male and 2 youngsters, Meadow Maze: 1 black cap.
Wood Loop: 1 marsh tit, 1 nuthatch, 1 great spotted woodpecker, chiffchaffs, blue tits, great tit flock (mixed) 20+.
Reedbed: 1 bullfinch
Scrape hide: 3 coots, 2 little grebe, 2 moorhens, 1 black caps, 6 tufted ducks, 2 shoveler, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 2 teal, 12 mallards
Sand martin hide: 2 gadwall, 1 juvenile grey heron,
Ramsar hide: 1 tufted duck, 1 shoveler, 4 sand martins, and 1 kingfisher.
Tues 3 Aug
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 kingfishers next to office window – an adult feeding a juvenile.
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 1 grey heron, 2 coots, 16 black-headed gulls, 3 gadwall, 2 mallards, 2 sand martins, 1 moorhen.
