I spent the morning with Phil at Pulborough Brooks, were we whiled away a happy couple of hours grilling the North Brooks. The long-staying
Wood Sandpiper was on view there along with eight
Green Sandpipers, a
Ringed Plover, three
Little Ringed Plovers, 22
Lapwings, a
Mandarin, a
Little Egret, three
Grey Herons, 13
Teal, a
Lesser Black-backed Gull, three
Kestrels, a
Buzzard, 11
Swallows, two
Sand Martins, two
House Martins, a
Reed Bunting, 96
Greylag Geese, two
Gadwall and two
Shovelers. After seeing two
Ravens flew over the reserve, I was blown away by the sight of a flock of 15 following in their path, though uttering just one soft 'cronk' as they went. Three migrant
Willow Warblers were along the trail, including one in song, as were small numbers of
Blackcaps and
Chiffchaffs. One spot we passed had three
Bullfinches feeding on the ground, and we had a further four of these elsewhere, along with three each of
Treecreeper,
Whitethroat,
Nuthatch and
Whitethroat, plus a juvenile
Stonechat, three
Green Woodpeckers, two
Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 12
Linnets, a
Goldcrest, two
Skylarks and two
Coal Tits.
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| Wood Sandpiper at Pulborough Brooks RSPB |
After a couple of errands at lunchtime, Ingrid and I treated ourselves to a drive over to Pett Level. The light was not in our favour and it a bit breezy but we picked out the drake
FERRUGINOUS DUCK soon enough - a lifer for Ingrid - in the left-hand corner of the eastern pool amid a mix of
Pochard,
Gadwall,
Shoveler,
Tufted Ducks and
Teal. 40
Sand Martins hawked over the pools, where a
Little Egret was resting, and two
Sandwich Terns flew along the sea wall.
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| drake Ferruginous Duck at Pett Level |
