Pete's Favourite Things

View towards river from visitors centre

Sue and I decided to go to the RSPB reserve at Pulborough Brooks in Sussex today. This reserve is situated on the side of the River Arun valley and has wonderful views. It is also a very good place for Nightingales and Cuckoos in summer and these were our target birds for today.

Dunnock

Arriving at the reserve we made our down towards the hides overlooking the river valley, we could hear a Nightingale singing and stopped for a while to listen. It was in cover and we did not get to see it. As we listened I heard a distant Cuckoo but alas these were to be our only encounter with either species today.

View from hide overlooking Brooks

We moved onto the river valley hides and looked out over the Brooks (the flood-plain of the river). Here were a selection of waterbirds and we got some clear sightings of Blackcap. Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff singing from their perches on trees or bushes. A Reed bunting and a Stonechat could be seen out on the Brooks in the vegetation. Sue spotted a single drake Mandarin duck, which was an unexpected find. At the last hide there was a family of Lapwings with 4 chicks and a Common Sandpiper. A common Redshank was heard calling but was not located.

Little Egret

Northern Lapwing

Common Chiffchaff

Although our target species were found, it would have been nice to have seen them – maybe next time? Apart from the birds there was lots of other wildlife to see. Early Dragonflies included Large Red Damselfly and Hairy Dragonfly and Butterflies recorded were Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue and Red Admiral.

Rabbit

Sika Deer (I Think)

Man-made hole?

Highland Cattle that graze grassland area

Common Pheasant [sp] (Phasianus colchicus)
Greylag Goose [sp] (Anser anser)
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Eurasian Teal [sp] (Anas crecca)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Little Egret [sp] (Egretta garzetta)
Red Kite [sp] (Milvus milvus)
Common Buzzard [sp] (Buteo buteo)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Common Redshank [sp] (Tringa totanus)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
European Herring Gull [sp] (Larus argentatus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Common Cuckoo [sp] (Cuculus canorus)
Common Swift [sp] (Apus apus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker [sp] (Dendrocopos major)
Eurasian Jay [sp] (Garrulus glandarius)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Western Jackdaw [sp] (Coloeus monedula)
Rook [sp] (Corvus frugilegus)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Barn Swallow [sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Long-tailed Tit [sp] (Aegithalos caudatus)
Common Chiffchaff [sp] (Phylloscopus collybita)
Eurasian Blackcap [sp] (Sylvia atricapilla)
Common Whitethroat [sp] (Sylvia communis)
Eurasian Wren [sp] (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Eurasian Nuthatch [sp] (Sitta europaea)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush [sp] (Turdus philomelos)
Mistle Thrush [sp] (Turdus viscivorus)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
Common Nightingale [sp] (Luscinia megarhynchos)
European Stonechat [sp] (Saxicola rubicola)
House Sparrow [sp] (Passer domesticus)
Dunnock [sp] (Prunella modularis)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
European Greenfinch [sp] (Carduelis chloris)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Common Linnet [sp] (Carduelis cannabina)
Common Reed Bunting [sp] (Emberiza schoeniclus)

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Speckled Wood [sp] (Pararge aegeria)

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)
Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense)