Marsh harriers have been a highlight of the week's sightings, with our first evening harrier survey of the autumn-winter season recording eight marsh harriers and a ring-tailed hen harrier coming into roost.
During autumn and winter, marsh harriers gather in communal roosts within the reedbeds, providing one of the reserve's most impressive wildlife spectacles. Our Evening Roost Watch events on 4 and 7 November offer a chance to see marsh harriers arrive at their communal reedbed roost. The harrier photo above was taken onsite previously by visitor Jason Partridge.
Great white egrets have also been showing well across the reserve, with multiple sightings from Ramsar Hide and Scrape Hide throughout the week. Once a rare visitor to the UK, this striking species is now a regular sight at WWT Arundel during the colder months. Lapwing numbers are also beginning to build, with birds recorded on the wetlands and around 50 seen flying over the reserve and River Arun. Small flocks of these distinctive waders overwinter on the reserve each year, taking advantage of the safe roosting and feeding habitat.
Elsewhere, visitors have enjoyed sightings of up to 17 cattle egrets, as well as kingfishers, water rails, snipe, pintail, teal and little grebes. The Scrape Hide continues to be a particularly rewarding location for wetland birdwatching, while the reedbed areas are alive with autumn activity.
Mon 19 Oct
Lapwing Hide: 1 robin, 2 redwings, 1 pheasant, 1 Cetti's warbler, 2 wood pigeons, 1 jay
Reedbed Willow Sphere: 1 snipe
Ramsar Hide: 22 lapwing, 2 great white egrets, 2 pintail, 1 little grebe, 1 water rail
Sun 18 Oct
Ramsar Hide and Sand Martin Hide: 1 great white egret, 12 cormorants
Scrape Hide: 5 teal, 14 shoveler, 13 gadwall, 13 wigeon, 17 cattle egrets, 1 little egret
Wetland Discovery: 5 long-tailed tits, 1 robin, 8 blue tits, 2 chaffinches, 3 mallards, 1 Cetti's warbler, 1 wren, 1 stonechat, 2 wood pigeons, 1 kestrel, 4 goldfinches, 1 kingfisher
Sat 17 Oct
Ramsar Hide: 17 cattle egrets, 10 cormorants, 1 great white egret, 1 little egret
Scrape Hide: 2 Egyptian geese, 1 kingfisher
Fri 16 Oct
Reedbed Viewing Platform: 1 marsh harrier over the reedbed
Waterside Walk: 1 kingfisher
Scrape Hide: 1 little grebe
Woodland Loop: 6 blue tits, 2 robins, 2 jackdaws, 2 moorhens, 1 goldcrest, 2 wrens, 5 long-tailed tits, 3 great tits, 2 goldfinches, 3 chaffinches
Flying over the reserve and on the River Arun: c.50 lapwing
Arun Riverlife: 11 mallards, 1 coot, 2 tufted ducks, 1 great tit
Thurs 15 Oct
Reedbed: 1 Cetti's warbler, 1 robin, 1 wren
Reedbed Willow Sphere: 13 mallards, 1 coot
Wed 14 Oct
Harrier Survey (after hours): 8 marsh harriers and 1 ring-tailed hen harrier during the first harrier count of the autumn-winter season
Scrape Hide: 1 cormorant, 1 mute swan, 1 great white egret, 15 mallards, 14 shoveler, 2 gadwall, 2 black-headed gulls, 1 coot, 1 kingfisher, 1 wood pigeon, 1 robin, 1 magpie, 1 carrion crow, 1 Cetti's warbler, 1 water rail
Long Path: 1 kingfisher
