On Monday and Tuesday evening the warm and damp weather started the annual mass migration of toads to breeding ponds. Reserve Manager Paul Stevens and team rescued over 200 toads (30 males in this bucket) who were crossing Mill Road and heading for the wetland reservec on Monday night. Paul and volunteers rescued another 20 on Tuesday but the temperature has dipped again temporarily halting the toad march. Toads can travel up to three miles to return to breed where they were spawned. Unfortunately some don’t survive the crossing busy roads. The toads travel at night to avoid being picked off by predators, like crows.
30 (male) toads, some of the 200 toads rescued Monday evening by WWT Arundel.
Recent highlights:
buff-tailed bumblebees
lapwings from Ramsar and Lapwing hide on wet grasslands
Chiffchaffs singing
pair of oystercatchers
16 snipe from the Lapwing hide
11 gadwall from the Scrape hide
Teal in pairs
5 Hawfinch in the Woodland Loop
firecrests near the Scrape and Ramsar hides
kingfishers at Ramsar hide and on the Arun Riverlife lagoon
signs of water voles eating phragmites (reed) shoots along edges of Arun Riverlife lagoon
Along the paths
bullfinch
kingfishers
song thrush
goldcrest
firecrest
water rail
long-tailed tits (pairs forming)
Woodland Loop
great spotted woodpecker (drumming)
goldfinch
blue tits
coal tits
great tits
chaffinch
Lost Reedbed
marsh harrier (roost, 4 sighted Sunday at evening roost
Reedbeds
Water rail
Reed bunting
gadwall ducks
great tit
wren
sparrowhawk
Lagoons Ramsar, Sand Martin & Scrape
goldcrest
bullfinch
teal
shoveler ducks
snipe
tufted ducks
shelducks
little grebe
kestrel (above)
little egret
Wetlands Discovery
pochard ducks
tufted ducks
goldcrest
bullfinch
kingfisher
buzzard
Arun Riverlife
greta crested grebe
kingfisher
tufted ducks
pochard
teal
water rail
Wet Grasslands from Lapwing & Ramsar hides
snipe
teal
lapwing (breeding pairs arriving as flocks break up)