Bewick's swans arrive
On Thursday morning I arrived early in time to count 10 Bewick’s swans leaving Arundel Wetland Centre at around 8 am. In the group a lone adult was traveling with three juvenile swans. These youngsters would have hatched this year, visiting the Arun Valley for the first time. The adult seems to have lost her/his partner as Bewick’s Swans mate for life and travel as a family group. They can live for 30 years. This group left first on followed by the remaining six swans.
In the 1960s 150 plus Bewick’s Swans were recorded regularly at Arundel Wetland Centre. Since 1995 the number of Bewick’s swans making the migration from arctic Russia to northern Europe has plummeted by nearly a half – from 29,000 to just 18,000. The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is researching the decline of Bewick’s Swans. Climate change is a factor, with fewer swans having to traveling as far as West Sussex to find a warmer winter.
Recent sightings by WWT wardens at Arundel Wetland Centre.
Tues 1 Jan
Woodland loop: great spotted woodpecker
Wetlands Discovery channels: tufted ducks, grey heron, cormorant.
Ramsar hide: 2 shelducks, 1 cormorant, 2 wigeon, 30 snipe.
Sand Martin hide: 16 teal, grey wagtail, 5 tufted ducks, 7 shelduck, 1 grey heron, 19 pochard, 2 gadwall.
Tundra pen: grey heron, a little egret
Scrape Hide: 2 water rail (Trumpeter pen approach), 10 shoveler, 2 shelducks, 9 gadwall, 2 little grebes.
Long path: a fieldfare.
Wet meadow: song thrush
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 kingfisher, 12 pochard, 3 teal, 2 gadwall.
Wed 2 Jan
Lapwing hide: 2 teal, 2 lapwing
Scrape hide: 7 gadwall, 9 shoveler, 1 kingfisher, 2 snipe, 2 little grebe
Long path: water rail
Woodland loop: grey wagtail
Tundra Pen: 3 Bewick’s Swans leaving in the morning.
Thurs 3 Jan
Ramsar/Sand Martin large lagoon: 10 Bewick’s swans overnight roost (3 juveniles), 1 cattle egret, 12 little egret, 1 cormorant, 12 shelducks, 22 teal, 2 lapwing, 7 gadwall, 16 pochard, 18 snipe, 1 little grebe.
Reedbed: 6 marsh harriers
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 grey heron, 2 cormorants, 15 pochards, 1 little egret.
Discovery hide: 1 bullfinch.
Scrape hide: 11 shoveler ducks, 2 shelducks, 1 kingfisher, 1 grey heron, little grebe, 1 water rail (in front of hide)
Wildlife garden: kingfisher (opposite)
Lapwing hide: 3 teal.
Woodland Lodge feeders: 2 chaffinch.
Fri 4 Jan
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 little egret, 1 cormorant, 6 pochard, 2 gadwall, 1 kingfisher, 4 snipe.
Offham hangar: peregrine.
Ramsar/Sand Martin hide: 5 snipe, 6 cormorant, 10 wigeon, 16 shelducks, 11 gadwall, 4 lapwing, 1 grey heron, 8 teal, 1 common gull, heard Bewick’s Swans leaving in the morning.
Wildlife garden: 16 goldfinches, 2 bullfinches.
Long path: 1 kingfisher.
Scrape hide: 10 shoveler, 2 shelduck.
Reedbed hide: 6 snipe, 3 mandarin ducks, 2 teal, 1 water rail.
Sat 5 Jan
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 7 pochard, 7 shoveler, 2 teal.
Woodland Loop: 1 great spotted woodpecker.
Reedbed: long-tailed tit. 2 teal.
Scrape hide: 18 teal, 14 shoveler, 2 shelducks, 2 little grebe, 5 snipe, 1 grey wagtail.
Ramsar hide: 4 pochards, 16s helduck, 4 shoveler, 3 lapwing, 1 black-tailed godwit, 10 snipe, 2 wigeon, heard Bewick’s Swans leaving in the morning.
Mon 7 Jan
Arun Riverlife: 8 teal, 1 grey heorn,7 pochard, 2 cormorant, 2 gadwall.
Wetlands Discovery: 3 Cetti’s warbler, 1 grey heron
Tundra pen: grey heron, 1 little egret.
Lapwing hide: 2 lapwing, 10 snipe, 1 shoveler, 2 gadwall
Ramsar/Sand Martin hides: 11 teal, 20 shelducks, 5 cormorants, 2 grey heron, 10 pochard, 2 lapwing, 4 snipe, 3 shoveler, 12 gadwall, 4 wigeon.
Scrape Hide: 2 shelducks, 38 teal, 6 shoveler, 10 snipe.
