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Recent sightings

• 3 February 2012

  Sneaky snipe, crests and crossbills

  An icy day for our World Wetlands Day celebrations, but sightings out on the brooks included white fronted geese, black-tailed godwit, dunlin and a nice range of dabbling ducks.  In terms of 'the predators' we saw the juvenile peregrine, a lovely female kestrel and a sparrowhawk.  The highlight for me was fabulous views of around 25 snipe, busily feeding in the rushy area in front of the view point between West Mead and Winpenny Hides. They were doing exactly what snipe do best - being superbly camouflaged  - until you get your eye in and then suddenly you find them everywhere!

  As well as the wetlands, it's well worth a look around the wooded areas of the reserve at the moment - goldcrests and firecrests continue to show in the conifers around fattengates courtyard.  Whilst you're there, keep an eye out for mammals as well....

  

  Phil Winter took this lovely photo of a weasel whilst staking out the firecrests!

  And crossbills have been showing beautifully on the heathland trail.  One of our volunteers, Russ, took some cracking photos of crossbills yesterday

  

  And yes, 'my' water rail is still out and about regularl feasting on mealworms.

  Now come along and see them all yourself!

  Posted by Anna Allum

• 31 January 2012

  Crossbills continue their chips

  Although absolutely freezing today, generally the reserve has had a springlike feel at times over the last 2 weeks. Chaffinches, great tits, song thrushes, goldcrests and treecreepers, amongst others, have all been singing, and great spotted woodpeckers are drumming from the big oaks all over the site. Lapwings are not exactly displaying yet, but the males are already 'fronting-up' to each other in their usual pre-breeding season manner. The female peregrine is still present - on Saturday morning around 10am, I witnessed two dramatic but unsuccessful hunts launched from her favourite tree at the hanger. The first was an attempt to intercept a distant flock of teal that were heading in to the north brooks, and the second was a more typical low dash across the brooks to ambush a moorhen.

  Crossbills continue their noisy presence on/over the heath - they seem to particularly favour the Corsican pines just south of 'the clump' and many have been heard singing in recent days. Up to 27 white-fronted geese and occasionally 1 pink-footed goose have been regularly using the brooks - they are often with large flocks of Canada and greylag geese. The water rail is still showing well from the main visitor centre window, and 2 firecrests are still present in the trees next to Fattengates courtyard.

  Posted by Pete Hughes

• 25 January 2012

  Harrier + white-fronts = excellent half an hour

  Had a brief but interesting look from Nettley's hide this morning from about 07.30, the highlights being - 27 white-fronted geese which had roosted on the north brooks overnight and left at 07.40, heading south, a kestrel catching a vole right next to the hide, a hen harrier hunting near the riverbank at 08.15, a jay perfectly mimicing a buzzard's call from nearby trees, and a couple of snipe feeding in the edge of the ditch in front of the hide about 10m away.

  The white-fronts reappeared on the south brooks late-morning, and there was also the single pink-footed goose present on the north brooks again (per Russ Tofts). The water rail continues to show well in front of the visitor centre window.

  Posted by Pete Hughes

• 19 January 2012

  19.1.12

  At least 24 white-fronted geese on the south brooks today (from west mead or winpenny hides) and between 100-150 black-tailed godwits reported from the north brooks. Flock of about 10 crossbills reported from the heath.

  Posted by Pete Hughes

• 18 January 2012

  Up close and personal...

  Just thought I'd share some fantastic photos taken by Dave and Kim of a few of our star birds ...

  You should be able to see that there are no strings attached to the water rail (despite several suggestions from visitors that I'm somewhere pulling them!)

  

  These titchy birds are always tricky to capture on camera as they are always on the move, but Dave managed to persuade both the goldcrest and the firecrest to pose...

  

  

  Posted by Anna Allum

• 17 January 2012

  Pink-feet and white-fronts.

  Single pink-footed goose and 12 white-fronted geese have been present over the last couple of days - when they are not are Pulborough Brooks they are often to be found at Amberley wild brooks. The pink-foot is usually associating with greylags. Fabulous, busy, colourful flocks of wigeon are showing really well from West Mead hide or Nettley's hide at the moment - the photo below is from West Mead on Sunday. A few snipe are showing well from Winpenny hide. Up to 8 ruff have been seen amongst the lapwing flocks. Firecrest (at Fattengates) and water rail (in front of visitor centre window) continue to show well.

  

  Posted by Pete Hughes

• 12 January 2012

  Rail continues close up

  Water rail still appearing regularly about 4m in front of the visitor centre window to the delight of many. Firecrests still being seen around Fattengates courtyard. Crossbills (up to 20) using conifers on heath though seem fairly mobile. All the usual waterfowl present in good numbers and a few black-tailed godwits, ruff, golden plover and dunlin to be found amongst the lapwing flocks. Peregrine seen hunting over south brooks this morning.

  Posted by Pete Hughes

• 6 January 2012

  How to train your water rail ...

  Over the past month or so we'd been treated to occasional glimpses of a water rail scuttling from one side of the brambles to the other just in front of the visitor centre windows.  Following several requests to magic this elusive bird up on New Year Day for some of the bird racers, I've been attempting to lure it out with the judicious scattering of mealworms.  For a day or so, my water rail appeared to be turning its beak up at my offerings and they were appreciated only by the moorhens, mallards, house sparrows, robins, blackbirds, dunnocks and song thrush. Then this morning, there it was (hooray!) happily picking at the mealworms and showing itself for a full 5 minutes!  Am now feeling very pleased with myself.

  So even if you're not braving the windy weather and going out on the reserve it is worth spending a little bit of time peering out of our big windows - you never know what you'll spot, and it's not just birds - in the last couple of days I've had great views of a weasel and we've had an albino fallow deer trying to make friends (rather unsuccessfully) with the rest of the herd.

  A few intrepid nature watchers have braved the wind and wet over the last few days and there is plenty to see out on the trail; crossbills and firecrests have continued to delight and frustrate in equal measure depending on whether you've been lucky enough to see them or not, the number of black-tailed godwit has reached the 250 mark, several ruff and dunlin seemed to have moved inland to avoid the worst of the weather and there are lapwings, wigeon and teal everywhere!

  Posted by Anna Allum

• 27 December 2011

  Small but perfectly formed!

  A busy day at Pulborough today - seems like lots of people are keen to get a bit of fresh air after the Christmas weekend.  Managed to sneak out of the visitor centre, albeit briefly, for a quick lunchtime stroll and headed down to Fattengates courtyard in search of our tiniest birds - goldcrests and firecrests.  I was in luck - a couple of firecrests were in amongst the conifer trees and despite them never staying still I did get some lovely views of them and help a couple of our visitors see them as well!

  My sneaky water rail also put in a brief appearance this morning - its been seen sporadically over the last month or so by the pond just in front of the visitor centre window.  You just have to be looking out of the window at the right time (and let's face it, I probably spend more time doing this than anyone else!). 

  Further afield on the North Brooks, the number of black-tailed godwit is steadily on the increase; today's count of 176 is the highest of the winter so far.  Plenty of lapwing, a couple of ruff and snipe also reported. Wigeon, teal, pintail and shoveler are plentiful and a bar-headed goose adds a touch of the exotic.

  If you're prepared for an early start it is well worth looking out for Bewick's swans, 14 (including 2 juveniles) roosted on the North Brooks last night, flying south at about 8.20 am.

  On the heathland trail, great spotted woodpeckers are drumming ( hooray it's spring!) and the flock of crossbills are occasionally being co-operative.

  Inside the centre, our winter sale continues, and if your garden birds need treating we've got special offers on both the dried mealworms and 'peck n mix'.

  Posted by Anna Allum

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