Spring is in the air
Spring is definitely springing, with the sound of great and blue tits, robins, blackbirds, chaffinch, greenfinch and Cetti’s warbler all singing madly. Dunnocks too, whilst displaying in their semaphore-like way! This long-tailed tit with nesting material was photographed a few years ago by regular visitor Romney Turner.
Shelduck, teal, pochard and gadwall can all be seen and heard, trying to impress the surrounding females, whilst the overly amorous mallard and mandarin males can be seen in good numbers, pursuing unwilling females.
Canada and greylag geese are seen mostly in pairs, becoming aggressive and chasing away anyone who gets too close. The lapwing too are now starting to move back into their usual territories on the wet grasslands and males have been displaying. I even saw my first chiffchaff of the year last Thursday (18th Feb) which to me is a sure sign of spring.
Despite the predation of a male kingfisher almost two weeks ago, this morning I saw two kingfishers around the nesting bank on Arun riverlife – there is hope yet!
Plants such as red and white dead nettle, coltsfoot, primrose, daffodil, lungwort, snowdrop and marsh marigold are starting to flower in various places and cheer up the otherwise grey days. As Sunday was a warm and fairly bright day, it was no surprise to see a brimstone butterfly. Amphibians are on the move too, with well over 150 toads helped across the road and fences so far, together with the odd newt.
- Suzi Lanaway, Acting Reserve Manager
Wildlife Sightings
Tues 23 Feb
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 8 cackling geese, 2 mute swans, 29 mallards, 4 tufted ducks, 15 gadwall, 8 shelducks, 1 wigeon.
Mon 22 Feb
Lapwing hide: 5 teal, 2 moorhens, 10 greylag geese, 4 Canada geese, 6 mallards, 2 shovelers, 3 pheasant, 1 lapwing, 2 coots.
Ramsar hide: 22 snipe, 1 lapwing
Sand Martin hide: pair of oystercatcher on back island.
Arun Riverlife: 6 pochards, 2 kingfishers, 1 lapwing, 2 goldcrests
Scrape hide: 1 pochard
Sun 21 Feb
Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher, 1 lapwing, 7 pochard
Wetlands discovery: 32 mallards, 6 Canada geese, 1 greylag geese, 16 tufted ducks, 1 snipe, 1 wren, 1 pochard.
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 42 teal, 2 mute swans, 2 pochards
Lapwing hide: 5 lapwings
Sat 20 Feb
Arun Riverlife: 1 little grebe, 18 pochards, 7 tufted ducks, 16 mallards, 7 Canada geese, 4 greylag geese, 2 coots, 2 snipe, 2 moorhens.
Lapwing hide: 2 lapwing, 3 teal
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 5 pochards, 15 teal, 1 Egyptian goose, 3 wigeon.
Wetlands Discovery: 1 kingfisher.
