To most people the end of July would still be high summer but for some birds the breeding season is over and they may be considering heading south to winter quarters. The green sandpipers currently being seen regularly on the North Brooks are an indicator, but what brought it home to me was a solitary whinchat seen clearly from Nettley’s Hide. I’d not seen one at Pulborough since last September.
Otherwise from a birding point of view the reserve was relatively quiet although a circling peregrine over the North Brooks in the afternoon caused a brief stir and a few mandarins provided some interest. At West Mead hide where the pool is now very dry it was good to see goldfinches demonstrating their love of thistles (see photo) – more interesting and colourful than on my nyjer seed feeder!
Elsewhere butterflies were dancing everywhere – all the usual species as per recent posts and anyone doing the Big Butterfly Count here will have been able to report good numbers. More exciting however was a silver washed fritillary reported by a number of people near the visitor centre.
Several brown hawker dragonflies were to be seen hawking along the edge of the Brooks near all the hides, perhaps newly emerged since my previous visit. On that occasion I’d seen a female emperor dragonfly laying eggs in the pond by the Visitor Centre but on this day only a male was visible on vigorous patrol.
In Fattengates Courtyard I noticed that someone has prepared a “Hoverfly Lagoon” for larvae and appropriately a “marmalade” hoverfly was to be seen on a teasel now flowering nearby (see photo).
Hoverflies were also to be seen in many places on the ragwort now very much in flower by the main path in many parts of the reserve. Its fascinating to consider how a weed that can be poisonous to livestock and has to be managed very carefully in the grazing areas is actually a brilliant resource for so many insects (see photo). The toxins are not harmful to the cinnabar moth caterpillars which use ragwort as a foodplant, but they act as a defence mechanism for the moths making them unpleasant to eat.
Thanks to volunteer Phil for his update and photos.