Kingfishers & cattle egrets
The Sand martin hide kingfisher pair are still feeding young, although judging by the size of fish being taken into the nest hole, this second brood should be nearly fledged. The nesting sand martins have all but disappeared, but it was only last month that we saw at least 13 nests still being fed by parent birds.
The real joy on the large lagoon is up to 35 cattle egrets using the islands and surrounding trees. Now that we have cattle back on site to graze the wet grassland, the egrets are enjoying the site even more! Cattle egret numbers have been increasing on site for the past month or so, and since the arrival of eight Dexter cattle and two Dexter X Highland cattle on July 30, the egrets have been bonding with them! The best views of this interaction are from the Ramsar hide. This photo is still from a video shot by WWT intern Anna Cork using a mobile phone through binoculars!
This is not a list of all wildlife onsite. Its is wildlife sightings by WWT staff noted on the morning walk around, with different areas recorded on different days.
Thurs 11 Aug
Sand martin hide: 1 oystercatcher, 1 kingfisher
Scrape hide: male kingfisher on perch outside.
Wed 10 Aug
Scrape hide: 2 shoveler ducks, 11 mallards, 1 coot, 1 moorhen, 2 goldfinches, 5 teal, 2 reed warbler, 6 wood pigeon, 1 bullfinch, 1 greenfinch, 8 house martins, 1 water rail, 2 swallows, 1 Cetti’s warbler
Sand martin hide: 1 mandarin duck, 3 oystercatchers (2 adults with 1 chick), 1 male kingfisher, 24 gadwall ducks
Ramsar hide: 1 grey heron, 1 cattle egret
Wetland Discovery: 1 kingfisher
Pelican Cove: 1 male gadwall, 1 grey wagtail
Reedswamp: 1 grey heron
Lakes & Forest exhibit: 1 grey heron
Woodland Loop: 6 mandarin ducks
Sussex screen: 1 teal
Tues 9 Aug
Ramsar & Sand martin hides: 30 greylag geese, 4 Canada geese, 2 little egrets, 3 coots, 29 black-headed gulls, 1 common gull, 28 gadwall, 12 mallards, 2 mute swans, 1 kingfisher, 1 grey heron
Scrape hide: 2 oystercatcher with one chick
Mon 8 Aug
Ramsar hide: 27 cattle egrets with the Dexter’s cattle on the wet grassland
Lapwing hide: 1 heron, 2 mallards
San martin hide: 1 kingfisher
Scrape hide: 2 grey herons
Sun 7 Aug
Ramsar & Sand martin hides: 28 cattle egrets morning (35 at 4.30 pm), 1 kingfisher, 2 mandarin ducks
Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher, 2 oystercatchers
Sat 6 Aug
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 moorhen, 6 mallards, 3 coots, 1 grey wagtail, 1 mute swan, 32 Canada geese, 1 wood pigeon
Woodland Loop: 2 mandarin ducks
Sand martin hide: 4 shoveler
Lapwing hide: 1 great egret
Fri 5 August
Woodland Loop: 3 mandarin ducks, 10 mallards, 4 moorhens, 2 chaffinches, 4 great tits, 6 blue tits, 3 green finches, 1 greylag, 1 goldfinch
Scrape hide: 3 oystercatchers, 8 tufted ducks
Sand martin hide: 2 little egrets, 2 kingfishers, 1 cormorants.
Thurs 4 Aug
Reedbed: 3 chiffchaffs, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 2 reed warblers, 1 willow warbler
Ramsar hide: 3 cattle egrets
Sand martin hide: 4 oystercatchers
Wed 3 Aug
Site: 2 peregrines flying over visitor centre
Woodland Loop: 5 mandarins
Woodland loop: mixed flock of 20c great, blue and long-tailed tits
Scrape hide: 7 teal, 16 mallards, 2 chiff chaff, 2 mandarin ducks, 1 great spotted woodpecker, 3 gadwall, 1 shoveler, 1 wood pigeon, 1 green finch, 1 coot, 2 goldfinch
Sand martin hide: 2 gadwall, 2 mandarin, 2 oystercatchers, 6 cattle egrets, 1 male kingfisher
Ramsar hide: 1 kingfisher, 29 cattle egrets
