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

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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…

Although the weather continues to be very changeable with northerly based winds there are a few signs that the migration is well underway, however, it is still a trickle but an improvement in the weather will hopefully see a increase in the number of migrants. The most noticeable are the Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers which at every opportunity are in full song making their identification much easier.

 

Chiffchaff (above…

With a high pressure system parked to the north west of the UK dragging a cold North Easterly wind there has been a very slow start to the spring migration with many migrants opting to stay on the continent at present and let it warm up. However a few newly arrived Chiffchaff have been caught singing around the site when the sun showed it face and thing warmed up and on Fri 18^th the first signs of visible migration took…

High Tide Count -- 24/01/2016

High Tide Count -- 21/02/2016
Little Egret 1 Water Rail 1 Goldeneye 1 Bar-tailed Godwit 1 Water Rail 1 Whimbrel 1 Spot Redshank 1 Snipe 1 Whimbrel 1 Shoveler 2 Kingfisher 1 Goldeneye 3 Gannet 1 Little Egret 5 Pale Bellied Brent 1 Pochard 5 Spoonbill 1 Grey …

As March moves onwards the clearing work out on Tern Island has finished for this winter. Over the last four projects over 50 volunteer and staff days have been achieved to clear about 95% of the Island ready for the Shorebird breeding season. Over the next couple of weeks the electric fencing will be erected and then we will wait for the arrival of the Terns in fact the first Sandwich Tern has already been reported in…

Another successful trip to Tern Island to continue with the clearance work with 13 hard working volunteers. We would like to thanks all those whole help out on this important project. With this extra help we have had over the last six weeks the island is nearly clear for the breeding season so fingers crossed. Already some of the seabirds are showing signs of changing their winter attire and the Black-Headed and Mediterranean…

Despite the recent storms, we’ve had some gorgeous days over the last couple of weeks and we took full advantage of them this week...

Last Sunday our friendly Guides were down at Church Norton introducing visitors, walkers and regulars to our wonderful wildlife out on the mudflats and saltmarsh. Armed with scopes, binoculars and a dash good-humoured banter they continue to inform and entertain. Their next outing…