Osprey, firecrest and lapwing
We were treated to views off the osprey again this week.
A check of our records show an osprey has been seen around our site since Sept 18th! The osprey is often perching up with its prey on the Offham hangar. Thanks Alec Pelling for this week's osprey photo.
On Sunday 12 Oct, a visitor photographed 12 crossbills flying over our reserve and into the Offham hangar.
Goldcrests have been spotted in the hedge on the approach to the Sand Martin hide while two firecrests were seen in the Woodland Loop.
We've been counting a kingfisher most mornings at the Scrape hide.
Lapwing are returning to the site. We are counting in the high teens in the mornings on the on the large lagoon. Numbers will increase throughout the colder months ahead as they flock up for the winter.
Highlights: osprey, hobby, firecrests, goldcrest, crossbills, kingfisher, green woodpecker, great white egret
Thurs 16 Oct
Reedbed: 1 kingfisher, 31 mallards, 3 Canada geese, 1 moorhen
Offham Hangar: 1 osprey
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 17 cormorants, 15 lapwings
Sand martin hide approach: 1 goldcrest
Scrape hide approach: 1 green wood pecker
Scrape hide: 1 great white egret
Woodland Loop: 1 nuthatch
Wed 15 Oct
Arun Riverlife: 1 pochard, 1 osprey.
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 13 lapwing, 2 Egyptian geese, 3 little egrets, 6 snipe, 1 grey heron, 2 teal
Scrape hide: 5 wood pigeon, 3 shoveler, 22 mallard, 1 shelduck, 8 teal, 9 gadwall, 1 great egret.
Tues 14 Oct
Wetlands Discover, Arun Riverlife and Reedbed: 1 osprey
Arun Riverlife: 1 pochard
Ramsar and Sand Martin: 1 great white egret, 54 Canada goose, 2 greylag, 2 Egyptian geese, 1 little egret, 34 mallards, 10 shovelers, 1 shelduck, 3 teal, 6 gadwall, 1 tufted duck, 2 moorhen, 5 wood pigeon
Long path ditch: 1 water rail
Mon 13 Oct
Wetland Breeding Bird survey
Sun 12 Oct
Over reserve: 1 osprey
Offham hangar: 12 crossbills flew over reserve to Offham hangar
Wetland Discovery: 32 mallards, 5 tufted ducks, 1 wren, 2 long-tailed tits, 1 bluetits, 1 green woodpecker, 3 robins, 1 Cetti’s warbler
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 16 lapwing, 2 cattle egrets, 1 great white egret
Scrape hide: 1 kingfisher
Reedbed: 1 hobby
Arun Riverlife: 1 pochard
Sat 11 Oct
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 17 lapwings, 1 pochard, 1 shelduck, 1 great white egret, 1 water rail
Wet Grassland: 6 snipe
Scrape hide: 1 shelduck, 1 water rail, 1 kingfisher
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 heron, 9 mallards, 4 tufted ducks, 1 robin, 2 pied wagtails, 1 green woodpecker.
Fri 10 Oct
Arun Riverlife: 1 pochard
Reedbed: 2 water rails
Woodland Loop: 2 firecrest, 1 goldcrest, 8 mallards, 1 robin, 2 long-tailed tits, 7 blue tits, 2 mandarins, 4 chaffinches, 1 dunnock, 3 great tits, 1 moorhen
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 1 lapwing, 1 snipe, 68 Canada geese
