Sand martin colony is breaking up but there was still 6 holes in use on Tues 26 August. The Sand martins are heading south to winter in the Sahel region of Africa. The sand martin's head poking out of a nest hole above was shot by regular visitor Alec Pelling.
We will see small numbers of sand martins, house martin and swallows moving through on migration now. We had c100 house martins congregate in the skies above our car park on Thursday 21 of August on their way through.
Other signs of the end of summer - after their summer moult some of the male ducks are regaining their breeding plumage, like the shoveler male seen around at the Scrape hide this week.
Wed 27 Aug
Pelican Cove: 3 tufted ducks ( 1 female with 2 young)
Reedswamp exhibit: 2 Egyptian gees
Meadow Pond in woods: 7 tufted duckling
Woodland Loop: 3 mandarins, 1 nuthatch, 1 great spotted woodpecker, 1 greywagtail
Reedbed: 1 treecreeper
Scrape hide: 39 mallards, 12 gadwall, 12 woodpigeon, 3 teal, 1 goldfinch, 1 coot, 2 swallows
Sand martin hide: c20 sand martins, 2 gadwall, 1 shoveler, 2 Egyptian geese
Ramsar hide: 10 cattle egrets, 2 gadwall, 3 cormorants
Lapwing hide: 6 bullfinches
Tues 26 Aug.
Scrape hide: 3 shovelers one is a male regaining his breeding plumage, 2 teal
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 little egret
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 12 cattle egrets (7 juveniles), 3 cormorants, 14 mallards, 4 shovelers, 4 gadwall, 3 coots, Cetti’s warblers, 1 teal, 2 moorhen, 3 black-headed gulls, 3 tufted ducks, 1 carrion crow, 2 great white egret, 2 wood pigeon 2, sand martins c10
Mon 25 August
Lapwing hide: 1 blue tit, 1 chiffchaff
Scrape Hide: 1 great white egret
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 1 little grebe, 1 snipe, 1 grey heron, 1 great white egret, 11 cattle egrets, 2 Egyptian geese
Arun Riverlife: 1 kingfisher.
Sun 24 August
Wetland Discovery area (boat channels): 1 mallard, 5 blue tits, 9 goldfinches, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 2 wood pigeon, 1 great tit
Ramsar and Sand Martin hide: 18 cattle egrets (3 adults, 15 juveniles)
Sat 23 August
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 11 mallards, 1 gadwall, 3 Canada geese
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: c50 sand martins, 15 cattle egrets.
Friday 22 August
Woodland Loop: 3 chiff chaff, 1 great spotted woodpecker, 3 moorhen, 8 mallards, 1 dunnock, 2 coal tits, 3 blue tits, 2 robins, 5 great tits, 4 chaffnches.
Thurs 21 August
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 little egret
Reedbed: 26 mallard, 2 kingfisher, 1 wood pigeon, 2 great tit, 1 blue tit, 2 moorhen, 1 marsh harrier male
Scrape hide: 2 kingfishers, 1 snipe
Sand Martin hide: c 15 sand martins (6 nest holes still in use), 16 cattle egrets 13 flushed up from the island and more in the trees
Car park: c100 house martins
Wed 20 August
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 grey wagtail, 4 tufted ducks
Lakes and Forest exhibit: 2 Egyptian geese
Meadow pond: 8 tufted ducks, 1 firecrest
Woodland Loop: 4 mandarin, 1 marsh tit
Willow Sphere: 5 wood pigeon, 25 mallards, 1 moorhen, 1 mandarin, 1 chiffchaff, 1 song thrush, 1 shoveler
Sand martin hide: c40 sand martins, 1 gadwall, 1 shoveler, 1 little egret
Ramsar hide: 20 cattle egrets (2 adults and 18 juveniles), 1 cormorant, 1 Egyptian goose, 3 gadwall, 1 teal
