Latest sightings
Kingfishers and Cattle egret chicks
It was an exciting week with our confirmation of cattle egret chicks last weekend. We had watched them carrying sticks into the heavily treed area between Ramsar and Sand Martin hides in August. It was still their breeding season (which stretches to Octob
12 September 2024
Gadwall and teal numbers up
Gadwall numbers are increasing for autumn with a top numbers of 110 gadwall on the large lagoon between Ramsar & Sand martin hides in the morning. Kingfisher sightings all week at Scrape hide, Ramsar hide and lapwing hide. We had a kestrel onsite on Satu
4 September 2024
Great egret onsite this week
A great egret appeared onsite on August 19 and has been roosting onsite. Our wardens spotted the great egret roosting in the tree between the Ramsar & Sand Martin along with 12 cattle egret in the late afternoon of August 24. Regular visitor Mike Jerome t
27 August 2024
76 Storks fly over
Staff and visitors were thrilled to watch c76 stork flying over the site in a slow whirling flock. There was little flapping as they seemed to be gliding on the thermals. The flock were over the reserve about 20 minutes, first sighted where the Lapwing hi
15 August 2024
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
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
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
It's National Dragonfly week July 6-14th!
11 July 2024
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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