ARUNDEL Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Centre

ACCESS: Approach along the A27, turning off at the roundabout south-east of Arundel, then follow the duck signs! In the centre of the town, turn right at the tiny roundabout. A very pleasant approach along a road lined with Lime trees leads to a humpback bridge and then the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust' car-park on the right. The Centre opens at 09.30am, remaining so until 5.30pm (4.30pm during the winter). Closed Christmas Day. There is an admission charge, other than for Members of the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust. Address: Mill Road, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 9PB. Telephone 01903 883355. E-mail address: wwt.arundel@virgin.org.uk

Facilities include a pleasant restaurant, serving good quality food at reasonable prices; a picnic area; binocular hire; a gift shop; an art gallery; and toilets. All paths (about a mile and a half) around the Centre are paved and suitable for wheelchairs. Guide dogs are welcome. The area, a mosaic of pens, reed beds, thickets, open lagoons and swamps covers some 60 acres in all.

BIRDLIFE: Apart from the outstanding collection of ducks and geese, this is a good site for wild birds, too, with visiting ducks (Gadwall, Wigeon, Tufted, Pochard etc), and sometimes wild swans (Bewick's). Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls breed. The excellent and refurbished board-walk leads through some very pleasant wetland environments where Reed and Sedge Warblers sing throughout the spring and early summer. In areas of dense scrub and bushes, the explosive songs of Cetti's Warblers may be heard almost year-round.

MAMMALS: Foxes occur commonly outside the Centre which is, of course, fenced to prevent predators from gaining entry. Mink have been a problem in the past. Two mammals which may be seen are the Water Vole and the Water Shrew, although both are retiring and seeing either is a matter of pure luck.

INSECTS: Dragonflies we have seen here include Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Hairy Dragonfly, the last two and possibly the first, being breeders. However, generally wildfowl and dragonflies do not mix! Butterflies which you may see include Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell, and, during times of summer migration, Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow.

REPTILES and AMPHIBIANS: We have never seen a Grass Snake, but there is a distinct possibility that the species occurs, especially as there is plenty of suitable habitat.

Perhaps every couple of months or so we pay a visit to Arundel, making it a general visit and having lunch there. The area makes a very pleasant break, and from where we are in Aldwick is ideal for a half-day excursion. Extracts from our Diaries follow:

2002 - 06 February:
A nice clear and bright morning with little wind. At first light, nine BLACKBIRDS were feeding on the Patio. Allowing for others around the garden, we must have had at least 15 altogether. The temperature at 7 o'clock was 42 Fahrenheit, having slipped overnight to 41 degrees.

As we set off for Arundel, a CHAFFINCH was singing somewhere in the garden.

A good run to Arundel. When we arrived, the air was full of noise. The ROOKS were in full swing around their extended rookery along the hillside. A SONG THRUSH was singing somewhere, also a CHAFFINCH.

Coffee after check-in, then a walk around the grounds, taking some landscape pictures for the new web site. The light was good and the colours superb, especially of the SALIX trees, many of which were sporting catkins, others glowing orange in the sunlight. As we were passing close to a row of ALDERS, I thought that I heard SISKINS calling. Standing for a moment, we saw them, only two or three and most difficult to see. Shortly afterwards, we heard them singing. A chap who was birding joined us and we stood listening carefully. Unfortunately, they were mostly hidden among the catkins and twigs. Earlier, he had seen a FOX outside the perimeter fence, also a SPARROWHAWK which had sped along the hillside on the other side of the road.

Where the old boardwalk used to start, three DUNNOCKS were displaying in the bushes. Spring is approaching! The new boardwalk is super and will be an excellent place when the reeds begin to grow again. Some areas of the reed beds have been cut right down, so there are now some wide open spaces. We stood around for some time, listening, and listened again when we reached the area most favoured by Cetti's Warblers, but there were no signs of them. Perhaps there had been too much disturbance recently.

From the Sir Peter Scott Hide we studied the large pool, admiring the distant orange-twigged SALIX trees. Several pairs of GADWALL were out there, on the far side, plus some SHELDUCKS. Otherwise, the pool was very quiet this morning.

We had a look at the Myvatn display. The Common Scoter drakes were displaying, as were the drake Long-tails, their skirling, nasal,, calls reminding me of distant days on the Northumbrian coast. It was quite an animated scene which we both enjoyed immensely. A MARSH TIT was calling somewhere close by.

After Arundel, we drove up the other side of the valley to Warningcamp and Burpham. There was lots of flood-water on the fields, vast sheets of it. We noted at least 30 MUTE SWANS, but no Bewick's, alas. In Burpham, we heard two distinct colonies of HOUSE SPARROWS. Unfortunately, parking is so difficult there that we could not stop and investigate in detail.

And so back home, via Lyminster to look at a possible foot-path across the valley, and the outskirts of Littlehampton.

2001 - 02 November:
Another bright and cold morning. Temperature at 7 o'clock 39 Fahrenheit, having been down to 38 degrees overnight. A cold northerly wind, less than Force1.

Away sharp to the WWT Reserve at Arundel. The new board-walk entrance and general lay-out, all renewed after the disastrous floods, are very pleasing. Walking through the pens, we headed for the new and extensive board-walk which wends its way through the reed beds. Superb! The reed beds were rather birdless as one would expect at this time of the year, but come the spring, with the arrival of migrants, they will be full of life. We heard a CETTI'S WARBLER singing, some distance away, and heard it singing again on several occasions afterwards. Good to hear, too, were BULLFINCHES, birds we used to have daily at home but which never put in an appearance nowadays. There was a pair high up in a fairly dense SALIX. We heard at least two GREY WAGTAILS as they passed over, also passing SISKINS.

The main pool on the Reserve gave us good views of around 15 SHELDUCKS and four SNIPE. While we were watching them, a GREEN WOODPECKER flew by.

Continuing our walk, we headed towards the far end of the pens. In a wild area of reeds and bushes on the right, a WATER RAIL was calling, not the familiar sharming call, but a steady pip, pip, pip, pip. A TREECREEPER was also calling close by and eventually it flew across.

Dragonflies included a small number of COMMON DARTERS, and also at least two MIGRANT HAWKERS, both seen to perfection in the sunlight. One pair of COMMON DARTERS was egg-laying into a mud bank.

After such a good morning, appetites were suitably whetted! The new eating arrangements here are excellent. The food was good and inexpensive and the proportions liberal!

2000 - 08 April:
Over to Arundel this morning, to visit the Wildfowl Trust. A BLACKCAP was singing among the trees up on the slope. We had a walk, hearing CHIFFCHAFF, SEDGE WARBLER and CETTI'S WARBLER. Unfortunately, the Board Walk is only open in part. They have been doing some repairs over the winter.

1999 - 14 May:
Thunder almost all night long! A strange weather system had moved in last evening and it looked very threatening at dusk, so it did not surprise us to have a little rain as we were going to bed and then hear thunder. This morning, it was still thundering when I got up at 5.30, but by 8 o'clock it was looking rather better and the sun was coming through. However, it did not last - at least, not for us!

The Wildfowl Reserve proved to be not as busy as I had feared. It was a pleasant walk around the grounds in full sunshine and rising temperatures. Indeed, it must have been in the mid-seventies in the shade around 2 o'clock and much higher, of course, in the direct sunshine. It was very humid. During our walk, we heard a number of REED WARBLERS and at least two SEDGE WARBLERS, all singing at full flow. Of Cetti, however, we heard nothing.

During our walk, we found a duck POCHARD with a brood of young, also a duck MANDARIN with tiny and quite delightful youngsters: both of these ducks were to all intents and purposes wild birds, so one could see why, for instance, Mandarins have spread so well into the environment in general.

Along the boardwalk, within a netted area, we found a female HAIRY DRAGONFLY which was intent on egg-laying, although the presence of four well-grown MALLARD ducklings made it very wary indeed and I never did manage a picture. Had they not been there, I'm sure that I would have got something, albeit at a distance. Anyway, despite the fact that she tried to lay eggs into living vegetation on several occasions, the ducks put her off (one of the ducks saw her and made a lunge) and she eventually disappeared. Despite a lengthy search, in all manner of likely localities, we saw no other Odonata.

Wandering round through the pens, Ann suddenly saw a CLOUDED YELLOW which, true to form, was hell-bent on travelling as far and as fast as possible. It disappeared very rapidly, heading up towards the Black Rabbit.

After leaving the Reserve, we drove along to the Black Rabbit where we had several ORANGE-TIP males along the roadside, and a female which was laying eggs into the flower heads of JACK-BY-THE-HEDGE (GARLIC MUSTARD) plants. We had good views of her as we sat in the car, but by the time I got out with the camera, she had moved on! I had a brief look-around there, walking around an interesting area of rough ground and looking at the River Arun where REED WARBLERS were in full song. A lovely BRIMSTONE flew by. There was a nice drainage ditch, too, but no dragonflies were present.

On tonight's news, we heard that last night Dorset had suffered the worst electrical storms in living memory. They showed pictures of the lightning and the torrential rain. Ann and I were thankful to have missed that experience!

1997 - 15 May:
Fairly bright this morning, but with a lot of high cloud around. For our day out, we decided to drive to Arundel and have a walk around the WWT' area. Bird song was a delight this morning - CHIFFCHAFF, BLACKCAP, WILLOW WARBLER, SEDGE WARBLER, WREN, BLACKBIRD, GREAT TIT, CHAFFINCH, GOLDFINCH, and REED WARBLER, all singing as though to burst. A CUCKOO was calling somewhere and after we had walked along the Boardwalk, our first CETTI'S WARBLER was heard, within a few yards. Altogether, I'm sure that we had three birds in various places. Two for certain, but when we were listening to the second bird, a third was nearby.

At one stage, two WHIMBREL went over, calling and flying towards the sea. Several pairs of SHELDUCKS had broods of young, and the COMMON TERNS were nesting on the raised platforms - we reckoned that there were three pairs. BLACK-HEADED GULLS were nesting there, too.

With what appeared to be deteriorating weather conditions, we made our way home, arriving just before a rain belt came through. It had been an excellent visit to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve.

1995 - 31 October:
A lovely morning, so after the usual shopping we drove to Arundel and the Wildfowl Trust. Despite the pleasant weather, the place was quiet and we had much of it to ourselves, especially the board-walk and the various hides. Almost at once, we had a female HOBBY overhead, beating its way towards the Swanbourne Lake. It gave good views and I could even see the streaking on its underparts. That was a good start! From and near the board-walk we saw a single COMMON SYMPETRUM, a number of CHAFFINCHES and a MARSH TIT. A WATER RAIL called close by and then we had the pleasure of seeing three pairs of COMMON SYMPETRUMS, flying in tandem, plus two additional males.

We had not finished with COMMON SYMPETRUMS yet: in front of one of the hides there were four pairs flying in the sunshine and hovering over the marsh vegetation. Two KESTRELS passed over, calling at length. They were mobbed by a CARRION CROW. Just beyond, a CETTI'S WARBLER sang intermittently, and farther on, not far away, there was another.

Andrew Dawnay was inspecting the new Icelandic display area. I asked him whether they were going to have Harlequin Ducks, but he did not think so, saying that none are being bred in the U.K. At the same time, I enquired about a magnificent species of shrub, several of which were in full glory around the reserve. He said that it was a EUONYMUS, Red Cascade. It seemed to us that it might be a good acquisition for our own garden! The flowers are insignificant apparently, but the red bracts and orange berries make a superb sight. Moreover, the berries are favoured by birds.

From the Ramsar Hide, we saw two SNIPE and a GREEN SANDPIPER. Another hide provided yet another pair of COMMON SYMPETRUMS. Sitting in and viewing from the largest of the hides, produced two more SNIPE, feeding on the far shore of the lagoon.

Leaving the car in the car-park (where we heard a third CETTI'S WARBLER singing), we walked along to Swanbourne Lake. Climbing up the path, I heard and we both saw a beautiful GREY WAGTAIL which gave us splendid views at comparatively close range. Farther on, and to our surprise, a MIGRANT HAWKER was flying to and fro over the path, cruising around a few feet above our heads. A tit was in song below us and I came to the conclusion that it was a WILLOW TIT, a likely habitat. Either the same or a different HOBBY flew overhead, making its way up the valley. It was pursued by a couple of CARRION CROWS. The light was so good that I could see the rufous on the flanks. Two GREY HERONS came over, too, and I managed a couple of pictures of them before they moved away. At least one WATER RAIL was calling along the Lake, and we saw one as it fed out on the open mud. Although some distance, we could see all the relevant characters.

1994 - 03 April:
A very pleasant morning excursion with Ann to the Arundel WWT Centre. It was sunny and relatively warm. On our arrival, a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER was calling from the hillside behind the car-park. At length, Ann saw it: it was a female. Several CHIFFCHAFFS were singing along the slopes of the hillside.

Walking through the reedbeds of the Board Walk, we heard a distant NUTHATCH, calling with the typical rolling call of spring. A low-flying SAND MARTIN passed over and later on we saw at least a dozen more. We watched a TREECREEPER as it collected nesting material from a reed fence and both heard, initially, and saw a WILLOW WARBLER, appropriately in a WILLOW.

1993 - 11 July:
A lovely morning, so off to the Arundel Wildfowl Trust at 10 o'clock. REED WARBLERS were singing from the reed beds outside the Trust buildings, just by the car-park. Inside, the Sussex Bat Group were having a 'meeting', introducing members of the public to the delights of bats. We saw several species, including a delightful LONG-EARED and a PIPISTRELLE. We were shown also WHISKERED and DAUBENTON'S. A very pleasant hour.

Afterwards, Ann and I had a nice walk round the pens, through the board-walk and so on. Lots of Buddleias were in bloom, but not a single butterfly to be seen, apart from a solitary RED ADMIRAL and even that was not feeding at the racemes!

Not too many wild birds, but we did see a GREEN SANDPIPER and three COMMON SANDPIPERS. Best of all was a dapper WATER SHREW, a small, slaty-grey mammal with white underparts which was hunting along the edge of a pathway. A lady was trying to photograph it, but there was not much light and the beast was quite quick!

Screen Management
Click here on INDEX to return to the top of the Home Page, or click BACK, top left of your present screen, to return to the bulleted list on the Home Page.