VIDEO: Icy animals antics

An excitable stoat was spotted performing somersaults and a shellduck was shocked to find it could do the splits on the icy lakes in Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Centres including Arundel.

The trust centres have been filming the antics of their residents as the cold weather froze over the water.

A swan looked somewhat frustrated after it spent several minutes pulling itself out of the water and drying off, only to fall through the ice again.

Dave Fairlamb, WWT Arundel Centre Manager said: “This time of year is such fun at our centres – apart from the antics of birds and animals coping with ice and snow, it’s a terrific time to visit. When it’s really cold the UK’s wetlands are at their most important for wildlife. It’s often far colder on the continent and cold snaps like this bring with them wildfowl and other waterbirds seeking refuge in the relative warmth of our coastline.”

Residents can ensure wild birds can access drinking water by floating a ball in their ponds and bird baths. The wind will move the ball around and stop a total freeze over.