Shrews, bank voles & tits on dormouse survey
We didn't find any dormice in our recent dormouse survey on July 19 but there were many surprises waiting in the 60+ dormouse nesting boxes to open onsite.
In June's survey, one box held a pretty blue tit nest which has now become a rowdy crew of blue tit fledglings! In one box a pygmy shrew was in residence and a litter of five bank vole pups was found in one of the black rectangular dormouse survey tubes that we hang in trees and hedges. Some boxes we didn't open, hearing the low threatening hummm of tree bees in residence as we approached.
You never know what you might find on a dormouse survey.
Bank vole pups discovered in dormouse nesting tube during the survey in July.
Pygmy shrew found inside another dormouse nest box.
July 25
Arun Riverlife lagoon: 2 kingfishers, 1 common sandpiper
Ramsar & Sand martin hide: 17 Canada geese, 2 little egret, 1 moorhen, 5 coots, 1 sedge warbler, 1 herring gull, 5 gold finches, 3 mallards, 1 mandarin duck, 20 sand martins, 1 reed warbler
Pelican cove: 1 oystercatcher, 1 pochard
Scrape hide area: 13 mandarin ducks
24 July
Scrape hide: 2 teal
Pelican cove: 1 pochard, 6 tufted ducks
Ramsar & Sand martin hides: 1 cattle egret, 1 little egret, 1 pochard, 1 Egyptian goose.
23 July
Wetland Discovery area: 1 mure swan, 2 coots, 2 sedge warblers, 2 mallards
22 July
Arun Roiverlife: 3 mure swans, 1 grey wagtail, 32 mallards, 9 coots, 12 Canada geese, 8 black-headed gulls
Ramsar hide: 1 cattle egret
Scrape hide: 2 kingfishers
21 July
Wood Loop: 2 moorhens, 1 coot, 11 mallards, 2 blue tits, 3 great tits, 2 chaffinch
20 July
Arun Riverlife: 2 kingfishers
Ramsar and Sand martin hides: 30 sand martins, 7 mallards, 5 blue tits, 2 reed warblers, 2 woodpigeons, 3 wrens, 1 dunnock, 1 great tit
Lakes & forest exhibit: 1 common sandpiper.
Flowering this week:
Yellows: tansy, ragwort, bird's foot trefoil, fleabane & yellow loosestrife
Pinks: willow herb, valerian
Purples: self heal, purple loosestrife, spearmint, thistle, common knapweed, teasel
Whites: meadowsweet, wild carrot
