Latest sightings

Kingfisher and winter thrushes

A kingfisher was showing well from the Scrape this past week. It can be spotted around the site. (photos above by visitor Alec Pelling on Sat 25 Nov).Sightings of redwings, mistle thrush, song thrush, goldcrest, firecrest and black caps as well as mixed t

29 November 2023

Teal and lapwing numbers up

We are seeing 20+ teal and 10+ lapwing each morning between the Ramsar hide and the Sand martin hide this past week. The highest count for teal was 27 on Monday; for lapwing, it was 31 last Sunday. There were 2 wigeon onsite on last Friday as well. A

19 November 2023

Seven great egrets!

We counted 7 great egrets from the Ramsar hide this morning! Senior Reserve Manager Rosie Ellis managed to snap five of the great egrets crowding a grey heron. Rosie also spotted two snipe to the left of the Scrape hide. Wed 18 OctRamsar hide: 7 great

18 October 2023

Water rail and snipe arriving for winter

Water rails are being seen and mostly heard around the site this week. Their contact call is a pig like squeal. We see a few water rail onsite year around but numbers increase in autumn with birds arriving from mainland Europe to winter on our wetlands.

11 October 2023

Great egret & good gadwall counts

A great egret has been onsite since Monday wading and fishing between the Ramsar and Sand martin hides. Visitor Martin Watson took this photo of the great egret last October at Arundel.Gadwall numbers are high with over seventy on Tuesday morning between

4 October 2023

Gadwall numbers up

There have been good numbers of gadwall between Ramsar and Sand martin hides, 56 gadwall on Tuesday. Shoveler numbers are up with too and they are sprinkled around the site. Cattle egrets and little egrets are around and Sand martin hide and Scrape hi

27 September 2023

Hawkers and common darters

Last week's dragonfly survey recorded over one hundred dragonflies and damselflies onsite. Five species were recorded: mostly migrant hawkers and common darter dragonflies with good numbers of southern hawkers, brown hawkers, and willow emerald damself

20 September 2023

Kingfisher adults & juveniles all active on site

The last brood of kingfishers fledged from the bank on Arun Riverlife around 9th August, but can still be seen darting around the reserve, as can the parents.Regular visitor Alec Pelling took this stunning kingfisher photo from the Discovery hide on Sept

12 September 2023

Waterbird ID Guide

This handy reference guide will help spot autumn migrants and the wintering water birds of Arundel Wetland Centre. Download this free guide to Arundel's most common ducks and birds. Get the Water Bird Spotter guide

10 September 2023

Juvenile kingfishers around

Kingfisher fledglings were still on Arun Riverlife lagoon last week practicing their fishing, showing well from the Discovery hide. Kingfisher sightings were also at the Scrape hide and on the Wetland Discovery boat channels.Wildflowers: water mint, purpl

3 September 2023

Cattle egrets & kingfishers

Cattle egrets were seen regularly from the Ramsar hide last week. Last year the egrets were photographed by our Reserve Intern Anna Cork as they interacted with the Dexter X cattle we had onsite, relieving them of some of their flies. Keep an eye for s

22 August 2023

Summer youngsters & bounty of butterflies

We're well into August now but there are still young families about. Not all chicks are fully fledged. Its been a good summer for moorhens and we are still seeing their youngsters. especially in the reedbeds and the Wood Loop. Everybody's favourite robin

10 August 2023

Kingfishers are feeding young again

On Monday a male kingfisher was spotted entering a hole in the nesting bank on the Arun Riverlife lagoon carrying a fish. This means the pair are feeding young and have at least one chick in this second brood. Visitor Alec Pelling photographed the male

2 August 2023

Shrews, bank voles & tits on dormouse survey

We didn't find any dormice in our recent dormouse survey on July 19 but there were many surprises waiting in the 60+ dormouse nesting boxes to open onsite. In June's survey, one box held a pretty blue tit nest which has now become a rowdy crew of blu

26 July 2023

Common tern & fledging sand martins

After playing common tern calls from the Sand Martin Hide for the past ten weeks, there is finally some interest! We have not had common terns on site since 2014, but one has been turning up fairly regularly in the past few weeks, wondering where th

20 July 2023