A grey, windy Pulborough Brooks today was visited by a brownish juvenile peregrine. It terrorised the occupants of the whole North and South Brooks on a number of occasions causing quite a stir. About 220 black-tailed godwits tried to find a quiet corner but had to commute between the North and South Brooks whenever they were disturbed.
A juvenile marsh harrier decided to enter into the spirit of things by adding to the mayhem of whirling ducks, geese and lapwings. It was present most of the day, but would flop down onto the ground and keep quiet for long periods of time. I was surprised to see it sit among the canada geese; they didn't seem bothered by it, perhaps they knew they were too big to swallow. A buzzard and a kestrel added to the panic from time to time.
On the North Brooks, at least eight snipe flitted backwards and forwards between the roosting islands but would disappear in front of you when you took your eye off them. They certainly know a thing or two about camouflage. A flock of perhaps forty jittery linnet were constantly lifting into the air, and they too would simply vanish in the grass when they came to earth. With extra water on the site duck numbers are definitely on the up, with pintail very much in evidence. All around the trail, hundreds of fieldfare with fewer redwing are roving around the hedgerows looking for berries. Most of the small birds had their heads down getting out of the wind, but a stonechat looked smart outside Winpenny.
The most surprising sighting of the day was a butterfly; I could have understood it if it was sunny, but believe me – it wasn't!
Thanks to volunteer Gary for his report and photos.