Some spring behaviours despite winter temps
We are seeing few spring behaviours from some wildlife. A male barn owl seems to be courtship feeding a female, male lapwing was displaying, a great tit was singing and a solo toad seemed to have started his migration.
Cold winter temperatures have kept the Bewick’s swans roosting overnight with us and good numbers of teal, wigeon and pochard onsite. Kingfishers and bullfinches continue to show well. Marsh harriers still coming in the late afternoons and a hen harrier was spotted across the river last week.
Recent sightings
Please note we do not include common species like mallards, coots, moorhens and black-headed gulls in these sightings.
Jan 22
Wetlands Discovery: barn owl, entering small owl box.
Ramsar hide/Sand Martin hide: 20 teal, 2 little grebe, 3 cormorants, 1 lapwing, 2 tufted ducks, 3 grey herons, 14 shelducks.
Scrape hide : 21 teal, 4 shoveler, 2 shelducks, 1 gadwall, 2 little grebe.
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 ufted ducks, 2 teal, 1 kingfisher.
Jan 23
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 5 tufted ducks, 1 kingfisher.
Woodland Lodge hide: 1 water rail.
Long path: Bullfinches.
Sand Martin hide/ Ramsar hode: 1 kingfisher, 1 cormorant, 27 teal, 12 shelducks, 1 little grebe, 4 grey herons,3 gadwall, 3 tufted ducks.
Scrape hide: 46 teal, 6 shoveler, 2 little grebe, 1 little egret, 2 gadwall, 2 shelducks.
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 little egret.
Jan 24
Woodland Lodge hide and Loop: 1 water rail, 1 nuthatch, 1 great spotted woodpecker
Wet meadow: song thrush,
Sussex Screen: 6 teal
Long path: 2 cormorant, 1 kingfisher.
Scrape hide: 35 teal (flying).
Sand martin hide: 34 teal, 21 shoveler, 15 shelduck, 1 grey heron.
Ramsar hide: 3 snipe, 1 little egret, 1 song thrush (Tranquil Trail)
Jan 25
Sand Martin/ Ramsar hide: 6 cormorants, 1 kingfisher, 2 lapwing, 4 tufted ducks, 1 little egrets, 12 shelducks, 5 pochard, 5 wigeon, 2 teal, and 1 little grebe.
Wetlands Discovery: 2 cormorants
Lapwing hide: 1 grey heron
Scrape hide: 21 teal, 9 shoveler, 4 gadwall, 2 shelducks.
Long path ditch: 2 little grebes.
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 kingfisher, 1 grey heron, 1 cormorant, 2 shoveler, 2 water rail, 2 pochard, 2 teal.
Jan 26
Offham hangar: 2 buzzards.
Wetland Discovery: bullfinches.
Sand Martin/ Ramsar hide: 3 cormorants, 11 teal, 2 snipe, 1 little egret, 7 shelducks, 7 shoveler, 4 wigeon, 26 pochard, 6 gadwall, 3 lapwing, 1 bullfinch.
Trumpeter Swan pen: 1 water rail.
Lapwing hide: 1 water rail
Scrape hide: 8 gadwall, 17 teal, 2 shelducks.
Jan 27
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 12 tufted ducks, 6 pochards, 2 shovelers, 9 teal, 1 water rail.
Lapwing hide: little grebe
Ramsar hide: 13 snipe, 19 pochards, 7 lapwing, 13 wigeons, 3 shovelers.
Scrape hide: 1 little grebe. 26 teal, 7 shoveler, 6 snipe, 1 chif chaff, 1 water rail.
Woodland Loop: nuthatch.
Jan 28
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 9 shovelersm 10 pochard, 1 kingfisher.
Ramsar hide: 1 kingfisher, 6 lapwing, 11 wigeon.
Woodland Lodge: 4 chaffinch, 1 nuthatch.
Reedned boardwalk: 2 bullfinches.
