Ducklings, Chicks and Cygnets
On Saturday afternoon, a female pochard swan out of the reeds on the Arun Riverlife lagoon with a duckling in tow, then another popped out of the reeds, and another, ... eventually eight ducklings emerged then hugged the reed edge tightly as their mother marshalled them along.She is aware of the dangers out there. Photo above is the female pochard with one duckling visible.
The mallard mum on Pelican Creek in the morning was more laid back with her two ducklings on Pelican Cove - she'd already lost a few to herring hulls. Also on Pelican Cove and in the Reed Swamp exhibit on Saturday were families of coots, with chicks in various ages following after parents for food.
Greylag families still abound with goslings of various ages around the site. Last Tuesday the mute swan pair on the Waterside Walk hatched out three cygnets.
Loads of warbler singing onsite, reed and sedge warblers and reed buntings seen and heard.
A common sandpiper is still onsite a week later. Marsh harrier sightings continue, lots of sand martin swirling and the cuckoo was heard again on the other side of the reserve.
Sat 10 May
Arun Riverlife Lagoon: 1 female pochard with 8 ducklings,6 tufted ducks, 3 gadwall, 5 mallards, 4 Canada geese, 5 male pochard, 24 black-headed gulls, 2 sand martins, 1 coot, 2 mute swans, 2 lapwing, 2 greylag geese
Scrape hide: 4 pochards, c10 sand martins, 1 lapwing
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 1 cuckoo heard by the fence at the back, 4 lapwings, 3 shelducks, c60 sand martins, 2 oyster catchers
Wetland Discovery: 1 pochard,
Pelican Cove: 2 adult coots with three chicks, 1 female mallard with 2 ducklings, 1 pair greylag geese with 3 goslings, 1 garganey (dropped in briefly)
Reedbed: pair of grey herons flying over and landing in the trees
Fri 9 May
Ramsar hide: 2 lapwing display flights, 1 lapwing on ground
Lapwing hide: 1 marsh harrier, mobbed by crows
Pelican Cove:
Woodland Loop: 17 mallards, 6 tufted ducks, 5 chaffinches, 3 blue tits, 3 long tailed tts, 1 moorhen, 1 mandarin, 1 blackbird , 2 robins
Long path: 1 pochard with 4 ducklings
Thurs 8 May
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 lapings, 1 pochard
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 common sandpiper, (2 males 1 female and 1 chick)., 1 pochard male, 2 shelduck (pair), 1 oystercatcher, c 80 sand martins
Wetland Discovery: 1 pochard
Scrape hide: 1 lapwing, 1 marsh harrier, c15 sand martin
Pelican Cove: 2 oystercatchers (pair)
Ramsar hide: 1 little egret
Reedbed and Willow Screen: 1 Cetti’s warbler, 13 mallards, 2 sedge warblers, 3 reed warblers, 1 great tit, 2 robins, 2 blue tits, 1 wren, 9 black-headed gulls, 2 greylag geese, 2 Canada geese, 1 mute swan, 1 coot, 1 moorhen
Wed 7 May
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 shelducks, 9 tufted ducks
Meadow Pond: 1 gadwall
Woodland Loop: 1 mandarin male, 1 nuthatch, 1 song thrush male singing
Reedbed: 1 peregrine flying over, 1 red kite
Reedbed Willow Sphere: 2 tufted ducks
Scrape hide: 2 chiffchaffs, 1 reed warblers, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 1 greylag geese, 16 Canada geese, 3 pochard, 4 gadwall, 1 Egyptian goose, 6 mallards, 1 coot, 15 tufted ducks, 1 shoveler male, c30 sand martins, 1 male chaffinch, 2 marsh harriers, 1 reed bunting male, 2 greenfinches.
Sand martin hide: 2 lapwing males, 3 gadwall, 1 oystercatcher, 1 common sandpiper, 1 shoveler,2 shelducks (pair), c100 sand martin.
Bewick’s Swans exhibit: 2 gadwall
Waterside walk: 1 pair of mute swans with 3 cygnets.
Ramsar hide: 1 little egret, 1 pochard, 6 tufted ducks, 8 gadwalls, 2 lapwing, 2 oystercatchers, 1 reed bunting male, 1 shoveler male
Wetland Discovery area: 1 gadwall
Lapwing Hide: 1 whitethroat male.
Tuesday 6 May
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 shelducks
Wetland Discovery: 1 male pochard
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 1 great white egret, 13 tufted ducks, 3 pochards, 3 shovelers, 2 shelducks, 22 Canada geese, 10 greylags (2 families with a total of 6 goslings), 13 gadwall (11 male and 2 female), 10 mallards, 1 moorehen, 1 coot, 3 lapwing mobbing great white egret and a crow, 1 carrion crow, 24 black-headed gull, 1 oystercatcher on middle island, 1 common sand piper, 1 sparrowhawk, 1 herring gull, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 reed bunting, 1 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler, 1 wren, c 30 sand martins
Scrape hide: 1 shelduck, 6 sand martins
Reedbed: 1 reed bunting singing between Scrape hide and old Reedbed hide.
