Pulborough Brooks Recent Sightings Friday 11th September from volunteer Phil
Patience is rewarded ...
..especially when it comes to wildlife watching. Arriving in West Mead hide in warm sunshine everything seemed to be still in that quiet summer phase with just a few mallard to be seen out on the water. The management works that usually take place at this time of the year were evident as the vegetation on the islands had been cut down in preparation for next year’s lapwing breeding season. So, despite the flocks of goldfinches prominent in other parts of the reserve, there were no thistles here any more for them to feed on. The sunny weather had brought out a good number of visitors and some of these looked into the hide and seeing not very much moved quickly on.
However others stayed to discuss the seasons and comment on the lovely landscape in view and slowly over time things started to happen. A buzzard was spotted circling over the Black Wood area. A grey heron flapped gently across the brooks. A kestrel flew purposefully over the brooks head on towards the hide before gently turning right to pass by into the field behind. Eventually I scanned the fenceposts with my scope for any signs of other raptors and then more interesting things started to happen. No raptors on the posts, but a very strange looking starling with a very cream coloured head giving it a slightly yellowhammer like appearance, but too far away to photograph. For those people who had stayed this caused some interesting discussion and we concluded that this must be an unusually coloured juvenile bird which are more normally very light brown around the head. No-one had seen a starling with this colouration before.
Eventually one of the visitors commented how many dragonflies seemed to be about and this proved to be very significant. A small bird of prey appeared and being lit up by the sun for a brief moment its colours suggested another kestrel, but quickly its remarkable aerobatic flight pattern showed that it was hunting insects and gave away its true identity as a hobby. All the visitors in the hide who had stayed the course had their patience rewarded with a wonderful display for several minutes by the hobby taking dragonflies out of the air and eating them on the wing, its remarkable ability to suddenly change direction matching the similar ability of the insects. This was truly a spectacle not to be missed and I think made the day for all of those people fortunate to witness it.
Elsewhere on the reserve there was a nice juxtaposition of Common and Lesser Whitethroat on the same bramble bush seen from the Hanger. On the North Brooks the current land management works had led to there being much less water than usual but a flock of pied wagtails was enjoying the exposed mud. A suspected group of linnets near the water’s edge proved on proper inspection to be dunlins still with some russet coloured breeding plumage.
For the first time in a few weeks I failed to find any redstarts at Redstart Corner and wondered if this might have been a sign of the progressing season. Could they have all moved on South already? Sussex records suggest not - so hopefully there will be more to see throughout September.
For the observant there was plenty of non-birding wildlife interest. A baby adder was to be seen curled up not quite of sight in the grass next to the path in Adder Alley. A Migrant Hawker dragonfly could be seen on the pond by the visitor centre and a number of these, Southern Hawkers and Common Darters were evident around the reserve. A Helophilus hoverfly on a knapweed flower provided some contrasting colour.
And finally a large moth was disturbed and flew under the eaves of the shelter in Fattengates Courtyard as if to remind me of the National Moth Night event taking place in the evening (I will leave others to report on that). So far I’ve not identified this from the thousands of moth species that can be found in the UK although the experts I was to meet that evening would most likely have instantly recognised it!
Anna : Looks like a copper underwing to me Phil - I often find these ones lurking in hides!