Warblers returning
The numbers of resident warblers (Cetti's and chiffchaffs) have been boosted by migrants, all singing loudly! We are seeing (and hearing) blackcaps and a couple of sedge and willow warblers have been appearing over the last week. If you want to witness early morning birdsong why not sign up for one of our Dawn Chorus Walks this spring?
Grass snakes and slow worms have seen sun basking on paths. This tangle of slow worm was found warming themselves under one of the refugia (survey tins) in our Black Rabbit Triangle area. Two grass snakes were spotted on Aprils survey on Sat 12 April - one in the woodland loop in a tree stump and another under a survey tin parallel to the boat safari. Grass snakes have unique banding on their 'necks' which we photograph to ID them. The first snake was new but the second was last spotted in 2015! They can live 15 - 25 years in the wild.
Sun 13 April
Scrape hide: 1 lapwing, 25 sand martins
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 4 lapwings (2 pairs), 1 displaying, 1 nest scraping, 1 marsh harrier -flew over
Wetland Discovery: 2 pochards, 12 greylag geese, 9 adults 10 ducklings, 3 tufted ducks, 2 wood pigeons, 2 shovelers, 6 Canada geese, 2 sedge warblers, 2 wrens, 2 blackcaps, 2 chaffinches, 3 great tits, 3 blue tits, 1 moorhen, 1 coot, 1 greenfinch
Woodland Loop: 1 sparrowhawk
Scrape hide: 1 pochard, 1 female mallard with 3 ducklings
Sat 12 April
Scrape hide: 1 snipe, 1 marsh harrier cam out of reedbed, circled and flew North over reserve, 1 lapwing, 4 pochards
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: c65 sand martins, 4 lapwings 1 female sitting, 2 shelducks
Bewick’s Swans exhibit: 1 female pochard
Wetland Discovery: 4 pochards (2 pairs)
Woodland Loop: 1 great spotted woodpecker
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 1 oystercatcher, 8 tufted ducks, 1 pochard, 31 black-headed gulls, 2 mite swans, 18 Canada geese, 6 mallards, 2 coots, 1 moorhen, 2 gadwalls, 1 sedge warbler, 1 Cetti’s warblers, 1 grey wagtail, 2 lapwings (one pair)
Reedbed Boardwalk: 1 water vole.
Friday 11 April
Woodland Loop: 1 chiffchaff, 1 black cap, 1 nuthatch, 3 chaffinches, 2 blue tits, 1 robin, 3 goldfinches.
Thurs 10 April
Willow Sphere: 1 chiffchaff, 2 Canada geese, 2 greylag geese, 3 black-headed gulls, 2 moorhens, 11 mallards, 1 coot.
Wednesday 10 April
Ramsar and Sand Martin: 8 cattle egrets, 3 cackling X barnacle geese, 6 lapwings, 2 oystercatchers, 1 pochard, 4 shelducks, 3 pochards
Reedbed boardwalk: 5 greylags, 2 chiffchaff, 10 mallards, 1 wren, 1 blue tit, 2 moorhens, 3 wood pigeons,1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 coot
Tuesday 9 April
Sand Martin hide: 5 shovelers (2 pair), 4 shelducks, c40 sand martins, 4 gadwalls (2 pairs), 2 teal (1 pair), 2 snipe
Bewick’s Swan exhibit: 1 gadwall
Ramsar hide 4 teal, 8 shovelers, 2 gadwall, 5 lapwings, 2 Egyptian geese, 6 sand martins, 2 oystercatchers, 1 sedge warbler, 2 linnets, 2 reed bunting
Wetland Discovery: 1 gadwall, 2 shoveler, 2 tufted ducks, 1 sedge warbler
Back Rabbit Triangle: 1 slow worm neonate, 1 large red damselfly.
Scrape hide: 2 pochards, 23 Canada geese, 1 cormorant, 1 blackbird, 3 wood pigeon, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 1 chaffinch, 2 shelduck, 3 tufted ducks, 1 marsh harrier, 7 greylag geese, 3 mallards, 1 blackcap, 2 shovelers, 1 greenfinch, 1 carrion crow, 8 sand martins, 2 coots, 1 snipe, 1 reed bunting, 1 sedge warbler, 2 lapwing, 2 goldfinches,
Front Entry Pond: 1 great spotted woodpecker
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 2 tufted ducks, 1 lapwing, 3 pochards
Pelican Cove: 2 tufted ducks
Lakes and Forests exhibit: 1 singing male tree creeper
Trumpeter Swan exhibit (woods): 1 mandarin duck.
Woodland Loop: 1 long-tailed tit, 1 treecreeper
Long Ditch: 1 sedge warbler, 3 long-tailed tits.
