Cattle egrets in nesting & roosting trees
Cattle egrets have been roosting regularly and in the daytime we can hear them in the trees where they nested last autumn. Great white egrest have been around as well, including the male in breeding plumage.
Friday the 13th was lucky for the Reserve team as they spotted a downy emerald dragonfly on the Raised Pond, where our pond dipping sessions for school visitors and families are held on the weekends. There has been some lovely water lilies flowering on the pond as well.
Three water voles are still be seen along the reedbed boardwalk - feeding and swimming!
Sun 15 June
Scrape hide: 2 great white egret one in breeding plumage, 2 pochards, c 15 sand martins.
Ramsar and sand Martin hide: 5 cattle egrets (more heard in nesting trees), c 40 sand martins
Wetland Discovery: 1 pochard, 1 mandarin, 4 Canada geese, 1 mallard, 1 chiffchaff, 1 Cetti’s warbler.
Sat 14 June
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 16 Canada geese, 3 mallards, 18 black-headed gulls, 7 tufted ducks, 1 blackbird, 2 coots, 2 herring gulls
Wetland Discovery area: 1 pochard
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 1 pochard, 2 Egyptian Geese
Scrape hide: 3 pochards
Reedbed: 1 Jay near the off-show duckery.
Fri 13 June
Woodland Loop: 1 collared dove, 2 blackbird, 2 wren, 3 chaffinches, 2 moorhen, 4 jackdaws, 8 mallards
Raised Pond: downy emerald dragonfly
Coastal Creek pond: Emperor dragonfly
Thurs 12 June
Reedbed: 3 water voles feeding and swimming!, 3 moorhens, 5 black-headed guls, 3 tufted ducks, 1 mandarin duck, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 1 wren, 1 sedge warbler, 34 mallards
Wed 11 June
Meadow Pen: 2 gadwall
Reedbed: 1 water vole
Scrape hide: 4 mallards, 22 gadwall, 6 tufted ducks, 11 Canada geese, 2 coots, 2 Cetti’s warblers, 2 pochards, 2 shovelers, 2 pochards, 2 shovelers, 2 moorhens, 1 chiffchaff, 1 grey heron, 1 carrion crow, 1 greenfinch, 1 marsh harrier
Ramsar/Sand Martin Hide: 13 cattle egrets, 2 oystercatchers
Reedbed: 1 water vole
