Sand martins return
Over the last week, the reserve has been alive with activity, with plenty of waterfowl, early spring migrants, and woodland birds delighting visitors.
Pochard were noticeable throughout the week, turning up in several habitats each day, while tufted ducks, gadwall and small numbers of shovelers and shelducks added variety to the wetlands. Mandarin ducks made a colourful appearance in the Woodland Loop, where up to six were seen together.
Waders were active across the scrapes and lagoons, particularly lapwings, which a handful were recorded each day . A pair of oystercatchers was looking for nesting spots, and individual snipe and a little grebe were spotted during quieter moments. Black‑headed gulls showed up in impressive flocks, with common gulls also making an appearance.
One of the real highlights was the arrival of sand martins, with numbers growing through the week—from single early migrants to flocks of twenty checking out the nesting bank on the Sand martin hide. Overhead, visitors were treated to views of buzzards, marsh harriers carrying nesting material, and even a red kite drifting across the reserve.
The woodland edges and hedgerows were lively too, especially with blue tits, which appeared in their highest count of the week with fourteen together on one day. Great tits, long‑tailed tits, chiffchaffs and goldfinches were frequently heard or seen, while wrens, dunnocks, robins and blackbirds added plenty of song. Occasional sightings of nuthatch, marsh tit, Cetti’s warbler and a great spotted woodpecker rounded off the woodland highlights.
Sun 29 March
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 1 lapwing
Wetland Discovery area: 6 Canada goose, 2 coot2 long-tailed tits, 3 wood pigeons, 11 mallards, 2 moorhen, 2 gadwall, 2 chiffchaff, 1 pheasant,6 goldfinch, 1 dunnock, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 3 greylag geese, 2 pochard, 1 song thrush, 1 black-headed gull. 1 wren, 2 chaffinches, 2 shoveler, 2 tufted ducks, 4 blue tits, 2 great tits
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 2 oystercatchers, 4 lapwings, 2 cattle egrets, 10 sand martins
Willow screen: 4 pochard
Reedbed: 1 mute swan
Sat 28 March
Pelican Cove: 4 pochard
Arun Riverlife: 19 Canada geese, 4 greylag geese, 6 tufted ducks, 2 gadwall, 11 mallards, 17 black-headed gull, 4 herring gulls, 1 wren, 1 chiffchaff, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 dunnock
Wetland Discovery: 2 pochard
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 2 oystercatchers, 6 lapwing
Scrape hide: 2 marsh harriers, 1 little grebe
Fri 27 March
Wetland Discovery: 6 pochard
Waterside walk: 1 mallard, 2 coots with 3 chicks
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 20 sand martin, 1 pochard, 4 lapwings, 2 Egyptian geese
Scrape hide: 1 Egyptian geese
Woodland Loop: 6 wood pigeons, 2 dunnocks, 2 mandarins, 4 chaffinches, 1 robin,1 chiffchaff, 1 nuthatch, 4 great tits, 1 long-tailed tit, 14 blue tits, 2 blackbirds, 4 goldfinches, 2 wrens, 2 moorhens
Thurs 26 March
Wetland Discovery: 4 pochards
Ramsar and Sand martin hide: 2 oystercatchers, 3 lapwing, 1 cattle egrets, 3 pochards, 2 common gulls, 2 shelducks
Reedbeds: 8 greylag geese, 6 Canada geese, 6 mallards, 1 mapgpie, 1 cattle, 1 water rail, 1 mute swan, 3 blue tits, 1 long-tailed tit, 1 chiffchaff , 2 moorhens, 1 wren, 9 black-headed gu;ls, 2 coots, 1 little egret, 1 black bird
Scrape hide: 1 apwing, 1 snipe, 1 Cetti’s warbler
Woodland Loop: 6 mandarin ducks, 1 goldfinch, 1 marsh tit, 1 nuthatch, 1 great spotted woodpecker
Lakes & Forests exhibit: 2 pochard
Reedswamp exhibit: 1 pochard
Arun Rverlife lagoon: 1 pochard
Waterside walk: 1 pochard
Overhead of the reserve: 2 buzzards, 1 red kite, 1 sand martin, 2 marsh harriers with nesting material.
Wed 25 March
Ramsar and sand martin hide: 1 female mallard with 7 ducklings, 2 oystercatchers, 6 lapwings, 3 shelducks, 1 little egret, 1 pochard.
Wetland Discovery area: 2 pochards
Lakes & Forest exhibit: 1 pochard
Arun Riverlife: 1 pochard
Scrape hide: 2 pochard, 6 teal, 5 mallards, 10 Canda goose, 2 shoveler ducks, 3 gadwall, 2 greylag geese, 1 black-headed gulls, 2 coots, 1 robin
