... it's here at last! Members will receive a free copy, otherwise, available from R & H Pets, Coopers Way, or email sightings@henfieldbirdwatch.co.uk

Read all about it!   Or more specifically, read all about the birdlife in our lovely local surroundings.  2019 was our fifth five-yearly survey and it has taken getting on for a year to put all the reports together about what has been going on bird-wise in the parish.

We are delighted to announce that our new book is now hot off the press.  To whet your appetite, in addition to accounts of all 115 species recorded during the year, these are some of the other goodies therein!

Review of the Year:  Giving a flavour of the comings and goings of summer and winter migrants, such as the arrival of Swifts, Swallows, House Martins and Cuckoos in April, Nightingales in May, Redwings and Fieldfares in the autumn.  Plus the more unusual visitors, a gorgeous pair of Garganey ducks in April, Whinchat, Wheatear and Wryneck in August, Yellow Wagtails in September, Black Redstarts in October & November, and a Water Pipit in December.

Garden Birdwatch: Members and non-members took part for a whole year and found 69 different species in their gardens, including Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and Marsh Tits, both now pretty scarce species in Sussex.

Special Surveys: All three Henfield Commons were surveyed in 2019, and an ongoing survey of Perching Manor Farm is showing how numbers of farmland birds are benefiting from a farming system supporting wildlife. Our annual Nightingale Survey, started in 1999, reaches out to include Wineham and Edburton. Read how these magnificent songsters make the most of our local habitats.

In the Village: Hazel has been keeping an watchful eye on the House Martins which have found the Deer Park estate much to their liking – read her diary from the arrival of the first bird in April to their final departure in September.  And Debbie’s enthusiasm for “our” Swifts shines through her account of their nesting activities, both in more natural sites in the eaves of houses, and in the specially provided nestboxes.

Photographs & Illustrations: The photos are amazing.  They were all taken locally, and mostly by our members.  Will Green’s illustrations are as wonderful as ever, and put the finishing touches to the book.

All members and garden birdwatchers will get a free copy of the book.  They will be available to purchase at R & H Pet Supplies in Coopers Way, or contact Val Bentley on 01273 494723 or sightings@henfieldbirdwatch.co.uk Copies are £5.