Thanks to volunteer Graham for his sightings report from the weekend together with his fabulous photos.
It was cool and damp at Pulborough Brooks on Sunday morning following the rain of the previous day and overnight. Nevertheless, the spirit of our songbirds had not been dampened, and apart from the distinctive voice of the Nightingale, it was quite a challenge to separate the notes of the numerous warblers and resident species as I walked down the zig-zag path.
At Simm’s Pond I was pleased to see that the Water Crowfoot was still providing a striking display. A liberal sprinkling of water droplets further enhanced the appearance of the flowers .
At West Mead the continuing high water level had persuaded a number of Tufted Duck to stay put.
However, the main attraction for many of the visitors to the hide was a close view of a young brood of four Lapwing chicks on the nearest island. Though often out of sight among the foliage they would occasionally come out into the open, either singly or occasionally in pairs. After some time the Lapwing mother decided to martial her brood across the water to the adjacent island. As she called to them from this new location one-by-one the chicks swam across the channel.
On this second island there was a sitting female Mallard that clearly did not intend to leave, and I assume that this was the reason why the parent Lapwing decided to again re-locate her brood, this time to the northern bank. There was a steady stream of visitors to the hide, and I was kept busy throughout my stay, pointing out the Lapwing chicks and sharing views of the nesting Avocets and other birds through my telescope.
After leaving West Mead Hide I took the left fork towards Redstart Corner. By the side of the path the Greater Stitchwort was in full display, providing a perfect setting for a number of invertebrates.
As I reached Redstart Corner the sun had started to make an appearance. At the pond I had brief views of a Hairy Hawker dragonfly and a Large Red Damselfly. A beetle was also demonstrating its climbing skills.
After short visits to Adder Alley, the ditch dipping ponds and Winpenny Hide, where I briefly saw two Wood Sandpipers and two Ruff, I returned to the Welcome Hut just in time to hand in my radio. It was a sunny afternoon, so I decided to spend a half hour or so at Upperton’s Pond before heading home. I was joined by a few visitors, one of whom spotted a large bird over the South Brooks. When I checked it with my binoculars I was able to confirm it as a White Stork. It soon came closer, circling overhead and giving the opportunity to obtain some reasonably good photos.
Like the bird seen last Sunday, this one has a ring on its right leg. However, having compared my images I can see some clear plumage variations between the two, suggesting that this is a different individual from last week’s visitor.