With thanks to volunteer Graham Osborne for his sightings report and lovely photos.
It was bright but breezy at Pulborough Brooks on Sunday. I started by joining fellow Hides & Trails Volunteer Alex and a small group of visitors near Upperton’s Pond. They were hoping for the reappearance of a Cuckoo that had been showing well. After a few minutes the Cuckoo started singing from deep cover on Hollybush Hill, but it did not show again before I moved on. I soon started along the trail. As usual these days I stopped by the bend at the top of the zigzag path to check for any basking Adders. I was in luck - a male was in view. A number of visitors enjoyed scoped views of it before it moved off into cover. On the zigzag path I had my first views of the year of both Orange Tip and Comma butterflies before eventually reaching the point where a Nightingale was singing from deep inside a clump of bramble. I stayed for a few minutes but the bird remained stubbornly out of sight. At West Mead Hide there were three Little Ringed Plovers.
Some Redshank and Lapwing were also present.
a pair of Avocets appeared to have adopted one of the islands as a nest site, showing agitation when other birds approach too closely.
Some tension was showing among the Canada Geese,
and at one point I spotted a Shelduck chasing away a Gadwall.
Eventually I continued along the trail. Bypassing Winpenny Hide I decided to take a brief detour down the Pig Run. Near the bottom of the path, opposite the large dead log, was a sizeable clump of Cuckooflower (Lady’s-smock). As I had hoped I found a male Orange Tip butterfly resting on one of the flowerheads.
A Green-veined White butterfly also flew in briefly.
Following a lunchtime stop at Hanger View I returned to the trail, finding a Dark-edged Bee-fly by the edge of the path.
Further on, the distinctive shape of some Hart’s-tongue Fern caught my eye.
Above the corner viewpoint the display of flowers by the edge of the path was most impressive, with some Common dog-violet showing amongst the clumps of Primroses.
While I was at Hanger View a visitor had mentioned that a Common Sandpiper was viewable from the corner viewpoint. As I approached the viewpoint I could see that regular visitors George and Lisa were there. Just as I arrived George located the Common Sandpiper, saving me the trouble of searching for it. Numerous Sand Martins and a few Swallows were feeding over the North Brooks. I continued on to Nettley’s Hide. After just a couple of minutes I had the good fortune to get a clear view of a singing Sedge Warbler perched conveniently in a nearby Blackthorn bush, providing a very nice finish to another satisfying day at Pulborough Brooks.
Here's the latest sightings list (from Wed 16 April):
At least 9 singing Nightingales now - including one that you can hear from the cafe terrace.