At last they’ve arrived. Two males were singing down the path earlier and another was in the garden this afternoon. First Brimstone as well!

Will Green, 14th March 2024

Angela and I were able to welcome new member Rikki on the walk this morning – a very dull morning, which made it tricky to see any colour at all on the birds high up in the trees, and the wildfowl were a bit monochrome too!

All the usual stuff along the first part of the walk, plenty of Robins & Wrens, and a couple of Song Thrushes. Nice to hear 2 Chaffinches in song along the embankment, and further down a Chiffchaff singing. Wildfowl on the floods was fairly distant, but we found Pintail, Coot, Shoveler, Teal and Wigeon, with a pair of Little Grebes too. Heard a Reed Bunting, but couldn’t find it. Angela had noticed 7 (?) Little Egrets near the heronry on her way up; only one there when we arrived, though we found more later. A group of 4 rather bored looking Grey Herons were in one of the fields. Beyond the heronry were a handful of Canada Geese with 11 smart White-fronted Geese (new species for Rikki).

Pretty quiet along the river until a large flock of birds came across and landed in Wyckham Wood, all Wood Pigeons – maybe 500? In floods on the Henfield side of the river were a group of 4 Gadwall, and we heard a Cetti’s Warblers. Just west of New Inn were some Black-headed Gulls, and another gull making an odd call – turned out to be a Mediterranean Gull in flight! A Pied Wagtail flew over, and a single Fieldfare called as we walked along the bridleway. On the diversion down towards Buckwish Farm there was a cacophony in the trees – some Goldfinches, and a largish group of Redwings were the culprits, and there was the occasional Redwing song heard!

The Rye Farm pools produced one Chiffchaff and the pair of Grey Wagtails, but no Water Rail today.

Val Bentley, 11th March 2024

 

 

Angela and I were able to welcome new member Rikki on the walk this morning – a very dull morning, which made it tricky to see any colour at all on the birds high up in the trees, and the wildfowl were a bit monochrome too!

All the usual stuff along the first part of the walk, plenty of Robins & Wrens, and a couple of Song Thrushes.  Nice to hear 2 Chaffinches in song along the embankment, and further down a Chiffchaff singing.  Wildfowl on the floods was fairly distant, but we found Pintail, Coot, Shoveler, Teal and Wigeon, with a pair of Little Grebes too. Hear a Reed Bunting, but couldn’t find it.  Angela had noticed 7 (?) Little Egrets near the heronry on her way up; only one there when we arrived, though we found more later.  A group of 4 rather bored looking Herons were in one of the fields.  Beyond the heronry were some geese, a handful of Canadas with 11 smart White-fronted (new species for Rikki).

Pretty quiet along the river until a large flock of birds came across and landed in Wyckham Wood, all Wood Pigeons – maybe 500?  In floods on the Henfield side of the river were a group of 4 Gadwall, and we heard a Cetti’s.  Just west of New Inn were some Black-headed Gulls, and another gull making an odd call – turned out to be a Med Gull in flight!  A Pied Wag flew over, and a single Fieldfare called as we walked along the bridleway. On the diversion down towards Buckwish Farm there was a cacophony in the trees – some Goldfinches, and a largish group of Redwings were the culprits, and there was the occasional Redwing song heard!

The Rye Farm pools produced one Chiffchaff and the pair of Grey Wags, but no Water Rail today.

46 species seen or heard, and a rather oddly placed toilet in the grounds of the house at the top of the Rye Farm track.

Walked along the mill stream – gives the legs a good workout trudging through the mud! A Lapwing with a lovely long crest in the first field on the left, and later one displaying on the right hand side further down. Three Reed Buntings singing with slightly different variations, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and one Yellowhammer. An Egyptian Goose with the 6 Mute Swans in their usual spot. Met a birder from Steyning, Ray Baker, and we surveyed the floods. Pintail and Shoveler in good numbers, Wigeon, Teal and Lapwings there too, then Ray spotted the two Black-tailed Godwits Mike & Lesley found yesterday. One Grey Heron on the right hand nest having a preen. Had quick chat with a couple walking their dog and they looked through my scope at a couple of Little Egrets, then walked on towards Stretham. Ray went that way and I went north to the bridge with the railings, not finding anything more. When I walked back the couple were on their return journey and relayed a message from Ray that the geese were nearer to Stretham, so I went back and had some reasonable views.

Val Bentley, 7th March 2024

A windless, misty morning with a promise of sun enticed me and Lesley and I out down the Downs Link this morning, a joy having been in front of a computer for two days! And what a walk it was too; signs of spring followed us all the way down the track. Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Dunnocks were in full song, Great Spotted Woodpeckers drummed and Green Woodpeckers yaffled. We heard a Water Rail squeal loudly from the flooded area next to what Val calls the ‘limbo’ field. We saw at least 3 Goldcrests along the way and a number of Redwing and Fieldfare flew out from the trees reminded us winter hadn’t quite yet gone away. We heard 2 Chiffchaffs along the way. Looking across the floods to Rye Farm we noticed a couple of Little Grebes and a small flock of Tufted Duck signifying the depth of the water as they were diving for food. Down at the gate by the heronry, the sun had now come out and revealed big numbers of Pintail and Shoveler, the most I’ve personally seen of the former on The Levels. A more intensive search revealed 2 waders, Black-tailed Godwits, one in glorious brick-red summer plumage.

Grazing in the fields around the heronry, there were plenty of Canada and Greylag Geese we managed to locate 9 White-fronted Geese. Over the side of the track in the flooded Mill Stream field 3 Lapwings were doing their territorial display flights and we were surrounded by singing Skylarks. Including 5 species that we recorded in the garden before we left, one of them being a Blackcap, we recorded 56 species today, more than the last time I went to Pulborough Brooks reserve!

Mike Russell, 6th March 2024

At last a sunny morning, so I took the chance to do my area 8 survey which starts in Woods Mill car park, up the road to Oreham Common, across the fields and up the hill to Sands Farm and back to finish on the reserve. I still had to plough through the welly deep mud in places but it was great to be out and not get soaked or wind blown! It was the second winter survey but the birds thought it was spring as so much song accompanied me around as both Song and Mistle Thrushes were in full song as were Wrens, Robins and Dunnocks. Great Tits with their ”teacher” call regaled me for much of the way and I heard the first Chiffchaff song when I got back to Woods Mill. A number of Redwing and a solitary Fieldfare reminded me that it was still winter. I hardly ever not see or hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker when doing this survey but not this time but I did record 3 Green Woodpeckers. It was great to hear a Little Grebe ‘whinnying’ from the depths of the reedbed from the lake of the reserve. Sadly no Marsh Tit appeared while I was in the hide but I did spend a wonderful 5 minutes watching the Water Rail parading just a few feet in front of me in perfect solitude when a couple of ‘birdographers’ joined me and I then had what sounded like 2 machine guns firing away either side of me but the Water Rail didn’t mind at all and I was pleased for them as they had never seen one before. Walking back through the woods I stood in one place and saw Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Goldcrest nearby all happily going about their business. A very nice morning with 38 species recorded.

 

Having finished the survey, the only place to be was on the balcony with a mug of coffee and a hot cross bun and as I sat down, 2 Buzzards wheeled around above the back of the garden and then a big female Sparrowhawk came from nowhere and took a dive at the bird table but flew off empty clawed. The garden is busy with the usual suspects at the moment and undoubtedly there’s a lot of pairing up going on with a number of territorial fracas as well and it is lovely to see a pair of Nuthatches coming regularly to the feeders. We have had a female Blackcap as a daily visitor for most of this year so far and today a male visited, while the most unusual bird has been a Kestrel that in the last 2 weeks, has been occasionally sitting in the oak tree at the back of the garden.

Mike Russell, 3rd March 2024

I took a little wander among the showers this afternoon and found some of the species we’d not managed to get on the SDOS walk last Saturday. As I started down the track a Mistle Thrush was singing nearby, then a Water Rail squealed and scuttled across from the near to far side of the first pond and a Greenfinch wheezing in a tree. On the rather deserted water to the west two Great Crested Grebes were displaying (if they’d started to build a nest it was probably under water now), and there was a small group of Tufted Ducks and Gadwall, plus a Mallard or two. More Coots on the east side and a pair of Little Grebes (had heard one calling from about here on Saturday). Back at the ponds and at least three Chiffchaffs flitting around and presumably the female Grey Wagtail. Mistle Thrush singing again.

Val Bentley, 1st March 2024

Lovely walk with Sharon J this morning counting the birds at New Wharf Farm just the other side of the river.  The water was very deep at New Inn, and I had to resort to shimmying along the fence – feet on lower rail, while clinging on to upper!

Was very pleased to hear good numbers of Linnets and Goldfinches – at least 50 of each (got the Linnets on the way back) – and at least three Cetti’s Warblers.

Val Bentley, 27th February 2024