Osprey over Arundel, sand martins over Sussex
Paul writes a column each week for local Observer Series newspapers on the latest sightings at Arundel, here's his latest article:
Two weeks have passed since we first sighted a juvenile osprey over the reserve at Arundel Wetland Centre. The raptor has been spotted every day since. Sometimes he is hovering and making passes for fish on the scrapes at the hides, other times he is spotted perching in the dead beech tree in the Offham hangar or just soaring high overhead.
The osprey’s visit has caused a buzz with many visitors coming to the reserve specifically to get a sighting and a photo of the bird.
Other birds of prey have been showing well too. Our regular pair of peregrines has been around and they even mobbed the osprey! A sparrow hawk has been reported, buzzards have been spotted above the hangar and on Sunday a marsh harrier was sighted hunting over the Arun River that borders our wet grassland.
On Sunday I had a mixed flock of 200 sand martins, house martins and swallows visit the Sand Martin hide in the morning. The birds were showing a lot of interest in the nest holes in the artificial bank and they were perching up around the hide as well. The hirundine migration will continue through the end of this month. Kingfishers continue to show well across the reserve and sightings of these flashy fishermen will increase through autumn and winter. We are seeing more grey herons, little egrets and cormorants now.
A little grebe appeared near the Scrape hide over the past weekend. We have also had a few sightings of snipe at the edges of the reeds. I saw a whitethroat in the scrub on Sunday, likely stopping off on autumn passage south. I heard a Cetti’s warbler singing as well, warning younger males off his territory.
Summer is still hanging on in the neon stalks of purple loosestrife on the wet grassland and in the ditches. Water mint and spearmint are still flowering as well. I am still seeing clouded yellow butterflies along with red admirals and green veined whites. Migrant hawker dragonflies still buzz the reedbeds.
