Category: Sighting

Whillet’s:- 20+ House Martin, Nuthatch, 2 Goldfinch.
West End:-  1 Magpie Duck (domestic escape), 32 Great Crested Grebe, 193  Greylag + 5 white feral hybrids, 2 Mandarin, 1 Kingfisher, 3 Moorhen, 1 Stock Dove. Also 1 Migrant Hawker dragonfly at hide.

West End car park:- 08.02-10.05 – 86 Greylag Geese, 6 Feral Geese,  3 Canada Geese, 5 Moorhen, 1 Coot, 6 Grey Herons, 10 Mallard, 3 Mandarin, 21 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Kingfishers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Stock Doves, 1 Wren, 2 Jay, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (f), 8 Cormorants and 1 Chiffchaff heard.

On 12/8/16 a moth box was put out in Whillet’s Meadows and this micro moth was captured. It has been confirmed by the County Moth Recorder as Pseudopostega crepusculella – a species which is Nationally Scarce and has not been seen in Sussex since 2009. It has never been reported in the North of the County. Although only 5mm long and not an impressive looking  moth; it is our first “Nationally Scarce” moth record for the Nature Reserve.

Raptor watch from North Bank (09:45-12:15):- 1 Hobby, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 6 Common Buzzards, 2 Ravens, 2 Bullfinch including a juvenile, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap.

West End Hide evening visit:- 5 Pipistrelle Bats, Tawny Owl heard, 300+ Geese – Canada & Greylag came into roost, 5 Mandarin , 2 Teal, 34 Mallard, 40+ Sand Martin (over), 5 Swallow, 5 Pied Wagtail.

West End:- 2 Teal, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Stock Dove.

Dam End:- 33 Lapwings, 14 Pied Wagtails, 1 Common Sandpipers, 2 Coot, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Green Woodpecker.

Dam End:- 179 Canada Geese, 2 Coot, 25 Lapwing, 2 Common Sandpiper, 230+ Black-headed Gull, 12+ Pied Wagtail.
West End:- 61 Great Crested Grebe, 63 Greylag, 3 Mandarin, 3 Buzzard, 7 Moorhen, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Sand Martin, 2 House Martin.

West End:- Osprey fishing 16:15-16:30 when it caught a small fish. Honey Buzzard glided high over, Peregrine briefly over trees on north bank, 6 Buzzards, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Lapwing, 2 Kingfishers.

West End car park:- 195 Greylag Geese, 15 Canada Geese, 15 Cormorant, 3 House Martin, 2 Swallow, 15 Great Crested Grebe, 13 Mallard, 3 Moorhen, 1 Mandarin, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Wren, 1 Robin, 2 Kingfisher. Osprey seen twice at 08.37 and 09.42 briefly, Woodpigeons numerous, 5 Black-headed Gulls.