Hen Harriers, Great white egrets & goosander
Hen harriers continue to thrill visitors and staff alike. A goosander is still onsite and two great white egrets are regulars, wading the lagoons.
This week hen harriers continue to thrill visitors and staff alike. A goosander is still onsite and two great white egrets are regulars wading the lagoons.
Hen harriers continue to cause great excitement, observed from the Scrape hide on multiple occasions. Male hen harriers are often called “ghosts.” With pale grey plumage and black wingtips, they can appear almost spectral as they glide low over the reeds, sometimes vanishing from sight altogether. Thanks to David Shaw Wildlife for the photos of the male hen harrier at WWT Arundel this week. Females and juveniles, known as “ringtails,” are brown and heavily streaked, with distinctive barred tail feathers and a prominent white rump.
The goosander was a recurring highlight, seen at various hides, while little grebes made appearances this past week. Lapwings appeared in small flocks, while coots and moorhens were regular sightings. A couple of great white egrets and a little egret stood out as elegant presences wading across the wetlands, alongside a grey heron. Mallards were consistently present in large numbers, joined by tufted ducks, teal, shovelers, pochards, and shelducks.
Bullfinches appear multiple times across the reserve. Redpolls were seen along the long path, a seasonal highlight, while stonechats were spotted at Lapwing hide. Other small birds included robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, wrens, and a song thrush, all contributing to the chorus of woodland life. A flock of goldfinches were also noted in the Wetland Discovery area.
A kingfisher was spotted at both the Scrape hide and Arun Riverlife lagoon. Both great spotted and green woodpeckers recorded this past week. The water rail, a secretive species, was spotted from the Lapwing hide
Highlights: stonechats, redpoll, bullfinches, goosander, kingfisher, great white egrets, hen harriers
Wed 26 Nov
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 2 great white egrets, 2 little egrets, 1 goosander, 2 little grebe
Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher, 4 mallards, 1 coot, 1 wood pigeon
Tues 25 Nov
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 grey heron, 1 great white egret, 1 little egret, 4 Canada geese, 8 cormorant, 18 lapwing, 6 shelducks, 1 little grebe, 17 mallards, 16 teal, 18 shoveler, 1 goosander, 1 woodpigeon, 1 coot, 1 herring gull, 1 snipe, 4 black-headed gulls
Scrape hide: 2 snipe
Tundra Pen: 1 green woodpecker
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 kingfisher
Play area: 1 great spotted woodpecker
Lapwing hide: 1 sonechat
Gate 2: 3 bullfinches, 1 kestrel
Long path staff tool shed: 1 bullfinch
Mon 24 Nov
Wetland Discovery path: 1 bullfinch
Lapwing hide: 4 blackbirds, 1 moorhen, 1 pheasant, 1 dunnock, 1 robin, 1 water rail, 1 wren, 1 mallard, 1 stonechat
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 goosander, 1 little egret, 1 pochard, 9 lapwings
Long path: 4 redpoll
Woodland Loop: 1 song thrush
Scrape hide: 2 hen harriers
Sunday 23 Nov
Wetland Discovery: 3 tufted ducks, 17 mallards, 2 coots, 3 wood pigeon, 1 blackbird, 2 robins, 10 goldfinches, 1 grey heron, 1 grey wagtail, 2 great white egret,
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 21 lapwings, 2 great white egrets, 1 goosander
Saturday 22 Nov
Wetland Discovery: 3 tufted ducks, 17 mallards, 2 coots, 3 woodpigeons, 1 blackbird, 2 robins, 10 goldfinches, 1 grey wagtail
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 21 lapwings, 2 great white egrets,
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 goosander.
Scrape hide: 2 hen harriers
