Latest sightings

Trio of kingfishers fledge

Trio of kingfishers fledge

Three juvenile kingfishers were spotted and two were photographed by regular visitor Mike Jerome on Sat 3 August. This is the second brood from the pair that nested in hole #5 in the bank on the Arun Riverlife lagoon this year. These youngsters still have

6 August 2024

Wildflower peak and cattle egrets

Wildflower peak and cattle egrets

The fabulous display of wildflowers this month include meadow cranesbill, purple loosestrife, great burnet, bird’s-foot trefoil, meadow vetchling, tufted vetch, black knapweed and hemp agrimony. Meadowsweet is growing in abundance across the reserve

25 July 2024

Kingfishers & cattle egrets

Kingfishers & cattle egrets

Plenty of kingfisher comings and goings around nest box hole #5. Cattle egrets still in breeding plumage around Ramsar hide.

17 July 2024

National Dragonfly Week

National Dragonfly Week

It's National Dragonfly week July 6-14th!

11 July 2024

Emerging toadlets

Emerging toadlets

Watch your feet! During warm, damp weather at this time of year tiny toadlets emerge from the ponds at WWT Arundel and onto the pathways to begin life outside the water. Toadlets are the same colour as the dirt, asphalt and pavement they are on, so we're

9 July 2024

Bees, bugs and lunar hornet moths

Bees, bugs and lunar hornet moths

Plenty of small birds around this week with reed warbler, sedge warblers, chiffchaff, black cap and greenfinches. A great spotted woodpecker is still around in the Wood land Loop. We had a whitethroat singing a the back of the wet grassland on Saturday.

3 July 2024

Peregrine young on Offham hangar

Peregrine young on Offham hangar

On Tuesday we recorded on our daily sightings that our regular pair of peregrine, who nest each year on the Offham Hangar, were seen with two youngsters overflying the reserve and perching up. Sharp-eyed visitor Mike Jerome spotted the youngsters with an

27 June 2024

Bat trapping and grass snakes

Bat trapping and grass snakes

Despite the changeable weather, we have seen an abundance of Grass Snakes with one of our refugia found with up to six snakes at a time taking advantage of it’s warmth. Common Lizards have also been spotted basking along rails on the Long Path fence. We

19 June 2024

Fledglings!

Fledglings!

The first brood of kingfishers are fledging – last Sunday Reserve Manager Suzi Lanaway saw one youngster with the tell-tale white tip on its bill out of the nest on perch 3 calling for food from its parents. Since then the male has been seen clearing ne

5 June 2024

Oystercatcher and gull chicks

Oystercatcher and gull chicks

Look out on the islands from the sand martin hide and on Arun Riverlife – black-headed gull chicks began hatching out this week. A pair of oystercatchers opposite the Ramsar hide have been spotted with at least two chicks. A second pair of mute swans we

29 May 2024

Nesting oystercatchers and active kings

Nesting oystercatchers and active kings

One oystercatcher pair looks to be sitting on a nest on an island from the Sand martin hide. The pair or one seem to be mobbing any curious predatory crows. On the Arun Riverlife lagoon the kingfishers are still really active this week – were still wai

21 May 2024

Tawny owlet and sand piper

Tawny owlet and sand piper

A tawny owlet started branching on Mon 13 May from its box on an island in Wetlands Discovery. Tawny owls leave the nest to scramble around branches before they can fly. This is the first time that tawny owls have used one of our nest boxes at this end of

15 May 2024

Curlew onsite

Curlew onsite

A curlew wearing coloured leg rings was spotted by WWT wardens from the Ramsar hide on Wed 8 May in the afternoon. It had been spotted by visitors from the Sand martin hide as well. Some of the nesting black-headed gulls swooped it a few times, in case it

9 May 2024

Goslings, ducklings and chicks

Goslings, ducklings and chicks

There are plenty of opportunities for “cute” wildlife photos across WWT Arundel's site now that spring is underway. There are at least 5 greylag geese pairs with goslings in tow and similar number of Canada geese pairs. The geese frequent the picnic a

30 April 2024

Moth survey & butterfly eggs

Moth survey & butterfly eggs

The first moth survey of the season only attracted 3 moths and a female minotaur beetle, due to the cold temperatures. We did have a lovely emperor moth sitting on the access gate for staff to the Pelican Cove exhibit on Tues 23 on Monday morning. Cuckoo

24 April 2024