Oystercatcher youngsters looking grown up
There has been lots of egrets onsite this past week with at last 5 cattle egrets around the nesting trees to the right of the sand martin hide. Their orange breeding plumage on their head crests and chests is starting to come in. A great egret and a little egret have been seen regularly mostly at the Scrape hide.
Still big flurries of sand martins at Sand Martin hide and over water at Scrape hide – first broods have mostly fledged and maybe starting their seconds. Still getting great views or the martins from the Sand martin hide windows.
The two young oystercatchers at the Sand martin hide have their adult colouring and are taking to the water a lot. They are starting to ignore their parents calls – like some human teenagers!
Two adult peregrines have been spotted regularly overhead and sometimes with their two youngsters in tow.
Mon 23 June
Scrape hide: 1 little egret, c 30 sand martins
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 1 marsh harrier, c30 sand martins, 4 oystercatchers (2 adults with 2 young)
Lapwing hide: 3 carrion crows, 1 blackbird, 2 wood pigeons.
Sun 22 June
Gate 2 area: 1 great spotted woodpecker
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 2 adult oystercatchers with 2 young, 1 little egret, 5 cattle egrets, c 40 sand martins
Wetland Discovery area: 3 wood pigeon, 1 sedge warblers, 1 mallard, 1 coot, 2 black birds, 1 mute swan
Scrape hide: c20 sand martins, 1 little egret
Reedbed: 1 mallard with 5 ducklings
Woodland loop: 1 mallard with 6 ducklings
Sat 21 June
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 11 back-headed gulls, 10 Canada geese, 4 tufted ducks, 3 mallards, 5 gadwall
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 2 little egrets, 1 cattle egret, 2 oystercatchers with well grown chicks swimming, 1 pochard, c25 sand martins
Scrape hide: 1 great white egret
Offham hangar and overhead: 4 peregrine falcon 2 adults with 2 youngsters flying noisily
Reedbed: 1 water vole
Fri 20 Jun
Woodland Loop: 2 wood pigeons, 4 chaffinches, 3 mandarin ducks, 2 robin, 4 mallard, 2 moorhen, 1 blackbird, 3 jackdaw, 1 nuthatch, 2 wrens, 3 great tit, 10 blue tits, 1 song thrush 1 chiff chaff
Scrape hide: 12 gadwall (2 ducklings)
Old Trumpeter pen: mute swan pair with 2 cygnets,
Ramsar and Sand Martin hides: 2 Egyptian geese, 1 pochard, 2 cattle egret in nesting trees!
Thurs 19 June
Reed: 1 great tit, 2 wrens, 3 blue tits, 1 robin, 1 reed bunting, 1 reed warbler, 3 wood pigeons, 5 greylag geese, 2 moorhens, 27 mallard ducks, 14 black-headed gulls, 1 carrion crow, 3 tufted ducks
Woodland Loop: 1 mallard duck
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 3 cattle egret (2 in breeding tree, 2 in roosting tree 1 on island), 3 cormorants, 2 Egyptian geese, 4 oystercatchers (2 adults with 2 young), 1 great white egret flying towards the Scrape hide, 1 little egret, c50 sand martins
Scrape hide: 1 great white egret, 1 marsh harrier, 2 little egrets, 1 pochard, 1 teal
Wed 18 June
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 gadwall, 6 tufted ducks
Lakes & Forest exhibit: 1 gadwall
Meadow Pond: 2 mandarin ducks, 1 gadwall
Woodland Loop: 2 nuthatches, 1 mandarin, 1 great spotted woodpecker,
Reedbed: 6 tufted ducks, 4 wrens (family group)
Willow Sphere: 12 tufted duck (pair with 9 ducklings and solo male)
Old Trumpeter exhibit: 1 mute swan female with 2 cygnets
Scrape hide: 2 mandarin ducks, 4 coots, 1 reed bunting, 12 Canada geese, 1 black-headed gull, 10 mallards, 1 sedge warbler, 9 gadwall ducks, 3 swallows, 1 moorhen, 1 wren, 1 mute swan male, 1 goldfinch, 4 reed warblers, 2 carrion crows, 1 greylag goose, 1 blackcap
Sand martin hide: 3 oystercatchers, 1 pochard, 2 gadwall, 3 tufted ducks, c70 sand martins, 4 house martins, 3 cattle egrets,
Ramsar hide: 12 gadwall, 8 cattle egrets, 2 cormorants, 2 little egrets.
