Browse by Tags

Huge numbers of house martins and lesser numbers of swallows over the reserve yesterday morning - probably several thousand birds but in truth impossible to count. Teal and wigeon numbers appear to very slowly picking up, and the hedges are still busy with migrant warblers (mostly blackcaps and chiffchaffs...

Graham, one of our volunteers, captured this grim action on the north brooks yesterday - a grey heron eating a juvenile moorhen. Not something you see everyday and an illustration of the heron's opportunism. A wood sandpiper is still present but generally elusive - easier to find are green and...

On the heath over the last few days have been a number of black darter dragonflies - they have an amusing way of avoiding sunburn (or whatever it is they are doing) and it is called the obelisk position. It is a handstand, as far as I can tell - shame it isn't an olympic sport. Black darter was first...

Finally, a warm, still, cloudless morning to enjoy on our monthly waterfowl count. Lots of lying water remains on some of the brooks providing good feeding for numerous herons and egrets. Highlights were at least 7 garganey (this constitutes a large flock!) on one of pools on the south brooks amongst...

At 08.00 this morning (in the sunshine !) the black pond on the edge of the heath was good for just-emerged emerald damselflies (see below). The walk to the pond along the bridleway was also interesting - 2 or juv green woodpeckers noisily pursuing a parent, marsh tit, a robin feeding some just out of...

Still plenty water on site, despite our attempts at getting rid of some. The recent passage of various waders continues - black-tailed godwits, green sandpipers, greenshank, little ringed plovers and common sandpipers. On the the larger pools on the north brooks a few teal and shoveler are present, along...

First significant passage/appearance of sand martins and swallows occured over the weekend - the cloudy weather of saturday influenced things and small groups over the north brooks all day. A few house martins were also seen. Blackcaps are now singing from various points around the site, with little...

Around the trail/hedges this morning were many migrant warblers - mostly whitethroats as far as I could tell, but also redstart, lesser whitethroat and willow warbler. On the north brooks, 2 ruff, 1 greenshank, 2 little ringed plover, 1 dunlin and at least 8 green sandpipers amongst about 100 lapwings...

At least one juvenile marsh harrier was hunting across the south brooks yesterday morning - this is typical August bird for us here and this one was right on cue. If previous years are anything to go by, it will stay around for some weeks. A young cuckoo was also present yesterday, eating cinnabar caterpillars...

A wood sandpiper was on the north brooks yesterday evening (per Gordon Beck) - also present several green and common sandpipers, 3 greenshank, redshank and 2 little ringed plover. Barn owl was hunting from about 20.00 and 3 common terns dropped in briefly (per David Andrews).

Still a selection of passage waders on the north brooks - greenshank, green sandpiper, common sandpiper and little ringed plover present this morning. Several lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, willow warblers and chiffchaffs in the scrub around the trail. Yesterday an adult male and juvenile female...

The last week has seen a range of passage waders coming through - green sandpipers and little ringed plovers inevitably the most common (at least 6 of each on any given day), plus greenshanks (2), black-tailed godwits (2), dunlin and common sandpiper (2 or 3 each). Hobby, peregrine, sparrowhawk and buzzard...

More rain over the last few days has re-filled most of the pools on the north brooks and put a few splashes on West Mead - should bring in a few passage waders over the coming weeks. At least 1 green sandpiper is already here. Nightingales are feeding fledged young around the trail and still singing...

After the much needed rain of yesterday and last night (we had 32mm - probably more than fell in March, April and May put together!) a few passage birds have appeared. 1 dunlin, 1 green sandpiper and a common tern were present on the north brooks, together with the usual mallard, teal, wigeon, redshank...

Spring is very much in progress here due to the very warm weather - nightingales are singing all around the nature trail, cuckoos are cuckoo-ing and two of our later-arriving migrants, the lesser whitethroat and garden warbler, are 'in' now. A common crane dropped in to the reserve on sunday...

4 Bewick's swans, all adults, on the north brooks today - possibly the earliest ever Sussex arrivals (late November to early December is more normal). What do they know we don't?! They apparently arrived about 10.30-11am and promptly went to sleep, as you would if you've just flown in from...

Curlew sandpiper still present on north brooks yesterday, along with a ruff and at least one green sandpiper. Curlew sandpipers are usually a scarce and brief visitor to the site, but one has been here at PB for at least 10 days now. And this despite the continual presence of a pair of peregrines on...

2 curlew sandpipers still present on north brooks today, plus 2 dunlin and at least 1 green sandpiper. 3 pintail, also on the north brooks, are the first of the autumn. Yellow wagatails amongst the cattle at various points around the site.

Curlew sandpiper on north brooks this morning, plus 1 ruff and at least 5 green sandpipers. Ca.25 yellow wagtails amongst the cattle on the north brooks. 2 lesser whitethroats and 1 common whitethroat in the hedge between little hanger and winpenny hide. Ca.200 house martins over hanger/nettley's...

Staff from the Environment Agency came to the site this week to conduct an eel survey in some of the ditches - apart from the eels, of which there were quite a few, various fish species turned up, including this splendid pike. It was great to see a part of the reserve I rarely get a look at - tench,...

Last night's rain has filled up some of the pools on the north brooks, which should bring in some passage waders over the coming days. This morning (08.00) there were at least 10, probably 12 ringed plovers, 6 green sandpipers, 1 dunlin, 10 snipe, ca.60 teal, 2 gadwall and numerous mallard and greylag...

Little ringed plover, green and common sandpipers are still to be found on the north brooks , even though many of the pool areas are dry. Teal numbers are slowly building up, as are numbers of greylag and canada geese. 3 greenshank were on site on monday, and a juv' marsh harrier (or 2) has been...