A flood of visitors follow the winter storms
Paul Steven’s weekly Wildlife Sightings column appears in the Chichester Observer, the Littlehampton Gazette, the Bognor Regis Observer, the Shoreham Herald and the Worthing Herald.
Mon 30 Dec:
The winter storms that lashed the UK during the week of Christmas holidays flooded the fields around the town of Arundel. Water poured into low lying areas of the WWT Arundel Wetland Centre reserve closing the Woodland Loop, the Reedbed Boardwalk and the long path. Staff closed the exhibit areas that hold the collection of 250 wildfowl at WWT Arundel. The gates to each pen were opened as water levels covered the land in the exhibits. Now the birds could access the higher placed footpaths to get right out of the water to roost at night.
Members of the grounds team gave up their Christmas Day with families to help move the Bewick’s swans and Black-necked swans into exhibit pens with areas of exposed grass.
The wetland centre remained open throughout the week and when the sun finally came out on the weekend visitors flooded in instead of water. The surface of the water of the Wetland Discovery area was dark with fish. Two kingfishers perched on top of the thatched roof Outlook In building all day, periodically dropping down to take a fish. Visitors were lined up three deep snapping photos all afternoon.
We have had 100+ teal in everyday last week. Gadwall numbers have been good with 24 on the waters between the Sand Martin hide and the Ramsar hide today along with 31 shovelers. The higher waters around the reserve attracted nine cormorants on Sunday. The grey heron moved down to the Lapwing hide where the water wasn’t as deep. The high water levels pushed water voles out of the reedbeds so they were very visible over the weekend. Snipe were showing well outside the Ramsar hide on Sunday. Water rails continue to show well all across the reserve.
Starlings are still gathering and forming a small murmuration of 150-300 birds most evenings. A greater spotted woodpecker, bullfinches, chaffinches, goldfinches and red wing were all sighted on the reserve last week.
