Bewick's swans and Snipe
Five Bewick's swans were spotted on the Burpham loop, across the Arun River from the reserve, on Saturday 30 Dec. It great to have some swans in the Arun Valley again this winter. If we see any low temperatures that freezes ponds the swans could come into the reserve to our deeper lagoon between the Ramsar and Sand Martin hides as in previous years. Four Bewick's swans pictured above were snapped early morning on our on lagoon, in winter 2018 by Paul Stevens.
Snipe sightings most days from both Scrape hide, the Ramsar hide and Sand martin hide.
Big numbers of common gull onsite last Friday and Saturday as well. Despite their name they are not that common and are bigger than our black-headed gulls but smaller than the herring gulls. In the winter the common gulls have brownish streaks on their heads. Adults have more black on their wings with white wing tips.
Tues 2 Jan
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 3 pochard
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 17 greylag geese, 37 Canada geese, 42 mallards, 4 cattle egret, 2 moorhens, 38 teal, 17 lapwing, 8 coots, 2 cormorants, 2 shelducks, 1 pochard, 13 gadwall, 10 black-headed gulls, 6 shoveler, 3 tufted ducks, and 2 snipe
Scrape hide: 2 shelducks, 3 snipe.
Mon 1 Jan 2024
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 6 pochards, 1 kingfisher
Lapwing hide: 2 mallards, 1 grey heron, 4 Canada geese
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 20 lapwing, 12 snipe, 1 kingfisher, and 1 little egret
Long path: 1 bullfinch
Sun 31 Dec
Wetland Discovery area: 1 pheasant, 9 mallards, 1 robin, 3 pochards, 2 Canada geese, 1 blackbird.
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 16 lapwings, 2 snipe, 92 common gull
Arun Riverlife: 2 pochard, 1 kingfisher
Sat 30 Dec
Arun Riverlife: 3 mute swans, 13 Canada geese, 14 greylag geese, 1 Canada X greylag, 1 grey heron, 2 cormorants, 2 moorhens, 26 coots, 7 pochard, 9 tufted ducks, 2 carrion crow, 28 mallards, 19 black-headed gulls, 1 male bullfinch.
Pelican Cove: 1 little grebe
Reedbed: 1 marsh harrier in morning
Scrape hide: 2 shelducks, 1 fieldfare
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 8 shelducks, 16 lapwings, 12 snipe, 1 wigeon, and 22 common gull
Burpham Loop: 5 Bewick’s Swans
Fri 29 Dec
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 20 lapwing, 8 snipe, 4 shelduck, 1 red kite, 21 wigeon
Wood Loop: 1 magpie, 2 mallards, 2 moorhens, 1 coal tit, 8 blue tits, 2 great tits, 1 robin, 3 chaffinches, 1 dunnock, 1 firecrest
Arun Riverlife: 5 pochards. 1 kingfisher
Thurs 28 Dec
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 19 snipe, 1 herring gull, 6 gadwall, 1 pochard, 3 wigeon
Reedbed: 1 Cetti’s warbler, 5 blue tits, 7 wood pigeons, 1 coot, 16 mallards, 1 robin, 12 jackdaws, 2 great tits
Willow Screen: 16 mallards
Scrape hide: 46 little and cattle egrets, 1 snipe
