Thank you to our hides and trails volunteer Phil for a great report on winter at Pulborough.
I drove to Pulborough in the morning for my first visit since before Christmas. The rain was persistent all the way and I reflected how much of it, and even snow, there had been at home on the North Downs over the festive period. Arriving with the weather starting to clear it wasn’t too surprising to notice that an awful lot of water was visible from the Visitor Centre on the South Brooks beyond West Mead. One of my colleagues, Tom, quipped that it looked like Pulborough on Sea.
In the office I learned that the river levels and been very high and had threatened to overtop or even breach the flood banks, but this had not quite happened. Looking further down the valley though you could see some flooded areas next to the Arun. Even without the river overflowing the Brooks are quite capable of flooding from streams and water running down the surrounding slopes as well as direct rainwater, leading to a scene somewhat resembling a lake. This was particularly noticeable at Hail’s View where it is most unusual to see water so close to the viewpoint, and this photo shows part of the flood there with many ducks and geese.
For me the best spectacle of the day was the enormous number of lapwings, especially when taking to the air on being disturbed by marsh harriers and peregrines.
I think there would have been at least 2000 and perhaps nearer 3000 lapwings on the site, a remarkable turnaround from the cold wet day in December when my Wetland Bird Survey team could only find about 70 on the North Brooks.
Many visitors were congregating at the Hanger where, with a scope, it was possible to pick out our wintering Temminck’s stint, still here after several weeks and despite the dwindling muddy water margins as the flood builds up. I’ve seen this bird on a number of occasions but somehow, despite its rarity, I prefer to watch the lapwings with their aerobatic flights and beautiful iridescent colours, even when they are hunkered down in a strong wind as in this photo.
In defence of the Temminck’s stint however my Birds of Sussex book reports that at the time of publication there were only 2 records of this species wintering in the UK, one of which was in Sussex at Thorney Island in 1975-6. So, the fact that this bird is still here does make it remarkable despite its comparatively dull appearance.
The other remarkable species of the winter is the hawfinch and we are still seeing a few of these on the reserve, with one showing well on blackthorns near the Hanger on Friday, still too distant for an effective photo. I reported before Christmas on the unusual influx of hawfinches into the UK this winter.
All our usual duck species were around but with so much water they were well scattered over the site so not providing a concentrated spectacle. It was notable however that there were well over 100 pintails on the site, reflecting their liking for
deeper water. There were also at least 3 tufted duck present, a species that prefers deeper water for diving. Also, a good number of shelduck were present, this one coming close in to Nettley’s Hide.
The pool in front of the hide just beyond the ditch had been completely subsumed into the flood, so no snipe could be found there. The area to the west of the hide is now much wetter and I wondered if it might attract water rail as this had been a good spot for them in our last very wet winter 2 years ago. None were seen but a visitor reported hearing one in this area,
Also nearby a kingfisher was to be found, apparently having a liking for the fence that runs along the bottom of the Hanger away from the hide
Its interesting to reflect that kingfishers have been seen much more regularly over the last year, and yet I’ve never previously thought of the reserve as a kingfisher stronghold. Long may it continue!
Also noteworthy at Nettleys was the depth gauge to the right in the ditch which was almost completely submerged.
Despite my pre-Christmas speculation about black tailed godwit numbers they were actually down and I could only find 8 birds slightly hidden behind some rushes on the North Brooks. I’ve not yet given up hope however. The peak count of over 1000 came in late January 2 years ago with the Brooks in a similarly wet conditions, so there are still a few weeks to go before we reach this point. Ruff and dunlin could also be found in small numbers.
At West Mead in the late afternoon I indulged my favourite winter pastime of watching the sun go down.
I then became aware of a huge cloud of lapwings approaching from the South – I would guess at least 2000 of them - perhaps coming in to roost for the night. I grabbed my camera just a little too late as the cloud was starting to break up, but this photo gives some idea of the spectacle.
This is Pulborough Brooks in wintertime at its best.