Thanks to Gary, one of our regular Volunteers, for this short blog post.
Things are certainly warming up. Another fabulous sunny day at Pulborough Brooks. On my way to West Mead the nightingale at Fattingates was in full song, and at least four common whitethroat between there and West Mead. Four little-ringed plover were extremely close and one of them took exception to a mallard that was peacefully dozing on an island and drove it off! Now that is what i call punching above your weight. One snipe, a green sandpiper and a redshank were also present.
Winpenny had a further green sandpiper and smart male reed bunting. Several swallows were making their way north. Apart from the almost constant accompaniment of blackcap and chiffchaff, adder ally was strangely quiet. A short detour down the public footpath produced my first reed warbler of the year and a further nightingale. An adder also slithered across the track.Although quite windy, the hanger had whitethroat, linnet, bullfinch and stock dove. Outside Nettleys was a sedge warbler and over the flood were swallows, and both house and sand martins although not in great numbers. Ducks included wigeon, teal, shoveler, shellduck and gadwall, plus a fairly unusual pair of tufted ducks.The wildflower banks near Nettleys look fantastic at the moment with celandine, violets and primroses. In about a week the bluebells in the woodland will be coming out - can't wait. Butterflies today included, orange tip, green-veined white, brimstone, peacock, small tortoiseshell and the first speckled woods. I also noticed a few large red damselflies weakly flying, so I guess they had just emerged.Buzzards were enjoying the thermals and at least eight were in view at one time, and on the way back a red kite drifted over the zigzag. To round things off a cuckoo called to the left of the visitor centre.