A mild autumn period has lead to a very slow build up of winter waders and wildfowl very noticeable is the small numbers of Brent Geese with a flock of less than a 500 over the last month. With a change in the weather the Wigeon and Teal are very prevalent at the present around the reserve.

Flock of Brent Geese

Over the period there has been a regular sight of some unusual winter visitor. Up to two Long Tailed Du…

October is renown for the arrival of migrants either moving through towards Africa or winter here at the reserve. Strong easterlies have been affecting the UK throughout October which has brought a spectacular selection of rare migrants to there north and the east of the UK. However the reserve has remained relatively quiet for the month with settled weather and light winds. As the month draws to a close a few late migrants…

This time of year is usually dominated with the birding news but generally the migration has been relatively quite with a flash of excitement. The weather has been very favourable over the month with many sunny days which has favoured many of the migrant’s onward journeys to their wintering quarters. One constant through the month was the constant stream of Osprey sightings both at Pagham and Medmerry with up to…

Migration is one of those time’s of year to get all birders in a bit of a tizz as the expectation levels rise for the arrival of any unexpected visitors to the reserve. Last week many of the regular birders were rewarded by not one unusually visitor but two. The first was a Glossy Ibis which was present in Ferry Field and located by the reserve volunteers before flying off to remerge on the Breach Pool. The second…

Well the summer is coming to an end with soaring temperatures and sticky summer days. The breeding season is now over and the beginning of the autumn movement of birds. Out on the pools the passage waders are starting their long journey southwards Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover have all be reported. The first passerines have already passed through with Church Norton worth a look through…

On Saturday evening 30 Big Wild Sleepouters arrived at Pagham Harbour for a night of adventure. Having erected tents and enjoyed picnics in the early evening sunshine, we started our evenings activities with pond dipping, bug hunting and Animal-Olympics!

Let the dipping and bug hunting commence!

A bug hunter at work!

Water beetles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, water boatmen, newts and much more were all…

When the term twitching is used in connection with wildlife then everyone immediately assumes the hoards of people rushing to some rare bird that has turns up lost on its way south or northwards during migration. However it is not only birds that migrate many invertebrates do as well. Many of the well known butterfly species that you see in your garden may have made the journey across the channel to feed on your flowers…

The summer seems to have finally arrived over the last couple of days with temperatures soaring in to the upper 20’s or higher. It is typically thought of as a quiet time on the reserve in particular in regards to the birds. However this is because many of the smaller birds are finishing feeding their young and starting to recover their body weight ready for the long journey southwards. But the tranquillity of the reserve…

Well it is summer although it is difficult to believe it with the weather over the last couple of weeks. But it hasn’t put off our seabird colony as it thrives out on Tern Island. There are Black Headed Gull chicks all over the harbour in various stages of development from just hatched, hiding away from predators to almost fledged with anxious parents keeping guard. The gulls are not the only ones fully engaged…

Our Pagham Seals Wildlife Explorers (WEx Group) have been busy making hoverfly lagoons to help the University of Sussex citizen science project, The Buzz Club, understand which material and environment provides the best habitat for hoverflies to reproduce.

Hoverflies are pollinators like bees but tend to get overlooked. Although these brightly-coloured insects may look like bees or wasps, they are in fact true flies…

This month saw National Moth Night and we were keen to join in. We set our trap on the Friday night, and on Saturday morning a small but eager crowd gathered in anticipation. We were not disappointed with approx one hundred different species being caught! Here are just a few from that haul...

Burnished Brass, which appears to glint in the sunlight

The delightful Spectacle moth

A beautiful Scorched…

After a brief attempt of summer in the early part of the month the weather has turned much more autumn like over the last week or so.

 Stormy weather at Medmerry

Breeding season is in full swing with a very busy Black Headed Gull colony now established on Tern Island with the various tern species intermingled with them. Many of the nests are now hatching with lots of young gulls now visible around the edges of the…

Just like ‘Springwatch’, we have been following the fortunes of several avian families on our nest cams in our Visitor Centre...

Starting with the family of blue tits who successfully fledged seven very hungry youngsters, they were quickly joined by the tawny owl chicks who delighted everyone before they too left to start their adventures in the big wide world.

We now have a new star – a robin has built…

As the weather continues to show very unusually characteristics for the time of year, with primarily the wind in a northerly direction the last few weeks were very slow. However there was a surprise for the last few days of May with a Kentish Plover and Little Stint appearing with the migrating flocks of Ringed Plover at Church Norton. The resident Ringed Plovers have hatched there first chicks of the season and the season…

Rare Avocets are breeding at the RSPB’s Medmerry nature reserve for the third year in row.

Around 24 pairs of the graceful black and white birds have nested in the reserve’s stilt pools, an area growing in popularity for the protected species. The RSPB managed site is home to the only known breeding population in West Sussex.

Each pair lays between two and four eggs, and the long legged chicks have already…

The changeable weather conditions still dominant the migration period. After period of northerly wind the wind finally moved to the south releasing the block on migrants and suddenly there were two or three days of movements and in particularly Black Tern. A number were reported both at Medmerry and Church Norton passing through on the coast. But one summer plumage bird spent the afternoon at the Stilt pools.

Black…

Over the last three weeks our visitors have marveled over the nesting Blue Tits which have been living out there nesting period live on TV in the Visitor Centre. On Tuesday this week they hatched and now the parents are busily collecting caterpillars. Also there has been a web feed in to the Peregrines at Chichester and occasionally the Ospreys at Loch Garten.

Now thanks to the hard work of one of our volunteers we…

As promised this morning an update on the progress of our Blue Tit which many of you may have been following over the last couple of weeks. Early this morning it was noticed that she had began to hatch, throughout the morning more young were notice and dad started bring in a stream of small green caterpillars. at present at least 6 young have successfully hatched and enjoying there first meal.

Today's action

Although the spring has been slow to get going final over the last couple of days there has been an improvement in the weather and suddenly everything has sprung to life. Despite the weather migrants and residents alike have been getting on with what they do even if they are not been noticed because of the wind and the rain.

Common and Little Tern

Our Blue Tit has now been sitting almost three weeks providing our…

Having been away for a couple of days I was keen to see how our blue tit couple had been getting on.

This weekend Mrs blue tit has been much more settled spending the majority of her time in the nest box, indicating that she has finished laying and is now incubating.

However on the occasions she does get up she reveals a clutch of 8 eggs.

Two Little Gulls Were still present after a month on the Stilt Pools at Our Medmerry Reserve. These dinky tiny gulls regular pass through the UK but we are lucky that they have lingered for longer than expected, but will surely on their way soon. The stilt Pools also has present Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail and lots of Black Headed Gulls. Whilst a short walk down to the beach allows excellent views across…

Migration is in full follow although generally in short spurts as the wind swings from the predominantly north direction back to the south. The reserve is now filled with a multitude of warblers. Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed, Sedge, chiffchaff and Willow Warbler song is filling the air especially when the sun comes out and the chill is removed from the wind. More unexpectedly are the reel of a Grasshopper…

Amongst the many jobs our volunteers do, they ensure our bird feeders are kept topped up. Recently one of them has been finding little bits of torn paper in our bag of peanuts. Today we caught the culprit red-handed (or is that pawed?)! A gorgeous little wood mouse, who has now been re-housed in the log pile.

Meanwhile our blue tit couple have been continuing to delight us. Today Mrs BT settled down for a while..…

Our blue tits have been busy! Over the last week our suspicions were aroused by the sudden absence of activity after lots of nest building. She must have started laying a few days ago and the eggs been hidden under nesting material, as today at least three, possibly four eggs were revealed. Blue tits typically lay a clutch of 8 - 10 eggs, approximately one a day, before settling down to incubate. So from the comfort of…

With spring upon us, our reserves are bursting into life. Taking a walk in the sunshine last week, I was stopped by the sound of loud buzzing. Looking up I discovered the source was an array of industrious honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies busily collecting pollen and nectar from the pussy willow. Red admiral, comma, small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies were patrolling along the hedges, lured out of hibernation…