Damsels & dragons emerging
Damselflies are starting to emerge in earnest, with large red (pictured), common blue and blue-tailed damselflies flitting about. Hairy dragonflies are also emerging now.
Warblers are singing all over the place, including sedge, reed, willow and Cetti’s warbler, blackcap, chiffchaff, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat. A nightingale has been singing between wetlands discovery and the scrub outside the perimeter fence for the past two weeks or so, a real treat to hear.
Thousands of toad tadpoles can be seen in the front pond as you approach the building, thank you to everyone who helped the toads across the road during migration season – it was well worth it.
Thurs 12 May
Pelican Cove: a pair of pochard with two ducklings, a pair of oystercatchers sitting on nest on land in front of Coastal Creek aviary.
Ramsar & Sand Martin hide: 1 oystercatcher on mud opposite Ramsar hide, 3 lapwing one contact calling chicks, 1 male pochard
Scrape hide: 1 male lapwing, 1 male pochard
Reedbed: 5 reed warblers, 2 sedge warblers, 36 male mallard and 3 female mallards, 4 Canada geese, 2 greylag geese, 1 mute swan sitting on nest on island opposite Sussex Screen, 1 green-veined white butterfly, 1 goldfinch, 1 wren, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 chiffchaff, 2 blackbirds, 1 blue tits, 2 great tits.
Tues 10 May
Arun Riverlife: 1 lapwing
Pelican Cove: pair of pochard and 2 ducklings,
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 10 male tufted ducks and 7 female tufted ducks, 2 mandarin, 1 kingfisher, 18 male gadwall, 7 mallards, 8 Canada geese, 2 greylag geese, 1 shelduck, 2 lapwing, 2 cackling geese, 3 shoveler.75 black-headed gull, 7 herring gulls, 20 sand martins, 1 swallow, 2 oystercatchers
Scrape hide: 1 lapwing
Lapwing hide: 3 lapwing, 1 cuckoo at back of reedbed.
Mon 9 May
Lapwing hide: 1 lapwing, 15 Canada geese, 5 tufted ducks, 1 greylag, 1 coot, 2 woodpigeons
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 lapwing, 1 greater black-backed gull, 1 oystercatcher, 3 Egyptian geese, and 5 sand martins
Scrape hide: 1 lapwing, 1 kingfisher, 1 pochard
Pelican Cove: one pair of pochard with 2 ducklings
Sun 8 May
Arun Riverlife: 1 lapwing, 3 pochards, 1 kingfisher
Pelican Cove: 1 oystercatcher, 3 pochard
Sussex Screen: 1 mute swan on nest
Scrape hide: 2 lapwing, 1 pochard
Sand martin hide: 3 Egyptian geese, 1 oystercatcher, 6 sand martin
Wetland Discovery: 4 Canada geese, 2 mallards, 2 sedge warblers
Lapwing hide: 1 lapwing, 2 Canada geese.
