I've been rather distracted by fungi over the last couple of weeks, but just to prove I've not neglected all the other fabulous nature we have here at Pulborough Brooks...

Whilst I think spiders are incredible, and often quite beautiful,  I have to admit that they give me the heebie-jeebies, so I'm sure you'll appreciate my bravery in getting up close and personal (although thankfully not so up close and personal…

Our full range of binoculars and telescopes are being demonstrated this weekend with expert help available to answer any questions. Come along and get real hands on experience and advice. Plus ex demo bargains and exclusive offers.

Also in the shop, two of our most popular offers have commenced today!

If the birds are flocking to your feeders, you'll be delighted to know that we are giving 20% off the 12.75 kg sacks…

The monthly waterfowl count yesterday produced decent counts of wigeon and teal on site - about 750 of each, with ca.400 mallard and a handful of pintail and shoveler. Waders were represented by 150 lapwings and a couple of green sandpipers, a single ruff and more surprisingly, 2 rather late wood sandpipers.  Other stuff on a typically summer-to-winter-changeover October day - a red kite went over the visitor centre mid morning…

It's the time of year when our wardens are busy out on the wet grassland enjoying themselves with the big machines!

To get the meadows in the right condition for both the wintering ducks and the breeding lapwings, the habitat has to be carefully managed.  We use cattle to graze the meadows throughout the spring and summer and then mow or 'top' the fields in the autumn.   There's a fairly narrow window of opportunity…

Ruff, common and green sandpiper present on the north brooks amongst ca.100 lapwings. A late whinchat still present, plus 2 or 3 stonechats from Nettley's hide. The last few days has been good for raptors - the female peregrine has been seen again her usual spot at the hanger, the first hen harrier of the winter has appeared, plus marsh harrier, red kite and buzzards also noted in various places across the site.

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I'm pleased to report that the weather has been perfect for the start of our festival of fungi - a bit of rain and warm temperatures mean that weird and wonderful fungi are popping up all over the place!  The best display is out around the heathland trail, in particular alongside the back of the car park and down into black wood. 

Over the next couple of weeks we'll have our fungi trail set up so come and explore and…

The last few mornings have been murky, dew-laden affairs, great if you appreciate the beauty of spiders' webs strung over gorse bushes on the heath, but not so great for birds. Fortunately the afternoons have been full of fine September sunshine and there has been lots to see. Large numbers of swallows, house martins and meadow pipits passing through, and redstarts and spotted flycatchers still present around the trail…

Well I don't think there are many jobs where you can say to your colleagues "I'm just popping out to measure a mushroom" but working here you'll find that this kind of comment barely warrants a raised eyebrow!

After last week's rain and then this weekend's mild temperatures I thought it was time for me to start rummaging in the undergrowth to look for fungi.  I didn't have to look hard for…

On the brooks this morning were ca.150 wigeon, 230 teal, 15 shoveler, 175 lapwings, 130 mallard and the usual large numbers of greylag and Canada geese. Overhead passed a steady stream of swallows and house martins, with clearly many thousands of birds on the move south. A few snipe and at least 4 green sandpipers were also seen. Still a good range of migrants in the hedges/scrub around the trail - redstarts, spotted…

A seven raptor day today - the stars of the show were at least two hobbys (possibly 4 or 5) that spent much of the middle of the day hunting all over the reserve. Several buzzards and a group of 4 red kites were high (very high in the case of the kites) over the north brooks at about 13.00, whilst peregrine, kestrel, sparrowhawk and marsh harrier were also seen. Plenty chiffchaffs, one lesser whitethroat and a few blackcaps…

Plenty of summer-autumn-winter change-over going on today, both in terms of birdlife and the weather! A juvenile marsh harrier was hunting across the site (there were two different birds present yesterday), and whilst checking livestock a short-eared owl sprung out of the grass on the south brooks river bank, before dropping back down no more than 100m away. Up to 7 spotted flycatchers were present around the trail, along…

Saturday 7th September was of course the first Saturday of the month, and as such, the day of Pulborough Brook's monthly Wildlife Explorer and Phoenix meetings.

11 members of Phoenix group gathered in the wildflower meadow, undaunted by the threat of intermittent downpours. At the far end of the wildflower meadow is the living willow dome and screen, beyond which lies a sanctuary for wildlife from birds to beetles…

Interesting morning (07.30-08.30) around the trail: when I saw a garden warbler, a bird I rarely see in the autumn here, in the hedge alongside the zigzags I thought it might be good. Blackcaps and willow warblers/chiffchaffs were all over the site, and decent number of other common migrants were noted. The hedge between little hanger hide and winpenny hide was the busiest with at least 6 spotted flycatchers, 4 blackcaps…

Highlight of the last few days was an adult male honey buzzard seen and photographed by Jim Langiewicz on saturday - check out the stunning picture on the photos page. Other raptors seen over the last 3 days include marsh harrier, hobby, red kite, kestrel and (of course!) common buzard. Migrants are still present in many of the hedges - spotted flycatchers and redstarts can be found between Winpenny and Little Hanger…

The hedges and scrub around the site are now stuffed with sloes, blackberries, elderberries, haws and hips and look splendid - not surprisingly lots of migrant birds are taking advantage. This morning around the trail were several blackcaps, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and whitethroats, plus at least one lesser whitethroat. Spotted flycatchers were present at Fattengates and nr west mead, and several yellow wagtails…

On arrival at Pulborough Brooks over the next weeks, visitors may be surprised to encounter a large white rock by the side of the driveway. Regular visitors will see a transformation take place from rectangular block to work of art.

This is a live stone sculpture, a new project being undertaken by local scultor John Edgar. Throughout the remained of the summer and into the autumn, John will be a regular feature at the…

In a short walk from the visitor centre today, I saw 18 species of butterfly and with a bit more luck/time I might have seen 20. This was entirely due to the big patches of fleabane alongside the trail which are proving highly attractive to a wide range of species - well, pretty much anything that likes nectar, as the flowerheads were covered with bumblesbees, honeybees and hoverflies. The highlights for me were several painted…

Migrants come in all shapes and sizes - there were quite a number of silver ys (one of which pictured above) in the moth trap this morning, and a few migrant hawker dragonflies hunting along the treelines on the edge of the heath and black wood. Willow warblers, blackcaps and a spotted flycatcher noted around the trail today. Pectoral sandpiper not reported today up to 16.00, but not sure there were many people searching…

After a blank day yesterday, the pectoral sandpiper appeared on the south brooks again this morning - it was distant, but viewable from the viewpoint in the black wood (follow the public right of way south from the car park and after a couple of hundred metres take the pedestrian gate on the right).

In between the showers yesterday, there were plenty butterflies on the wing - clouded yellow, painted lady, small copper, brown…

The pectoral sandpiper that turned up on the south brooks on Wednesday has conveniently relocated to the more easily viewable northern part of the site - Jupp's view and Nettley's hide are the best places to see it. It has been kept company variously by a wood sandpiper, several green sandpipers, a couple of little ringed plovers, a common sandpiper and this morning, 4 beautifully summer-plumaged black-tailed godwits…

2 wood sandpipers and at least 2 green sandpipers present on the south brooks this morning. Ruff, 2 dunlin and 2 little ringed plovers present on the north brooks over the weekend. Greylag and canada geese numbers are slowly picking up, and 40-50 lapwings scattered around the pool areas.

Plenty of the commoner butterflies around the trail, plus another 2 marbled whites yesterday.

Although I've only had the chance to make brief forays out onto the reserve this week, I've been rewarded with sightings of some incredible insects!

Today, a lunchtime stroll was filled with butterflies - small skippers, large skippers, gatekeepers, meadow browns and ringlets were out in force along the zig zag path down from the centre, where the fleabane is just coming into flower.  Our newly planted and rabbit…

The small trickle of passage waders continues on what remains of the pools - dunlin, ruff, green sandpiper (up to 5), black-tailed godwit and little ringed plover noted in the last week. A few migrant warblers are now again being more obvious - whitethroats, blackcaps and willow warblers.

The nature trail is swarming with the commoner butterflies - small, large and Essex skippers, meadow browns, gatekeepers, whites, commas…

A few waders passing through now - up to 10 little ringed plovers at west mead yesterday morning and 2 greenshank on the south brooks. Greenshank could be seen from the south brooks viewpoint (past the black pond and turn right). Several green sandpipers around the site - I saw at least 6 yesterday, but they are elusive... 

A few teal present (ca.20) on the south brooks and at least one wigeon on the north brooks. All 3 highland…

This week has seen the first of three expected highland calves arrive. Cute as a button, the little fella is doing fine and he can be seen in the field next to Winpenny hide.

At west mead hide this morning were 2 little ringed plovers, and 3 young lapwing chicks with a nearby adult. As if lapwings don't have enough problems, one of the chicks was attacked by a moorhen - somehow the chick survived being picked up and…