Return to Pulborough Brooks: Saturday 17 April

 Continuing our celebration of life post-lockdown, we made our first visit of the year to RSPB Pulborough Brooks. Although the hides remain closed, the trails are open and obviously the birds continue to use the habitat regardless of their lack of audience!

We arrived around 8am and the reserve was pleasantly quiet. Within minutes we had notched up a good tally of regular birds around the visitor centre gardens. On Upparks Field, planted with seed bearing crops, many Song Thrush were hopping hungrily, and a couple of Linnets also foraged across the seed strewn ground. Scanning the distant Brooks with our scopes Canada and Egyptian Geese were evident, and a few Lapwings were displaying , evocatively calling  “peewit” as they twirled in the sky, the sun highlighting their purplish, green hues before they cascaded gracefully to the ground. A distant perched, raptor, with pale breast gleaming in the bright morning sun, had Tim tricked into considering Osprey, before it languidly took flight revealing the unmistakable brown plumage features of the Common Buzzard.

We meandered in a leisurely fashion through the scrub enclosed  ZigZags, listening carefully to the enormous variety of birdsong and calls. The stand out species were Blackcaps, both ‘ticking’ and warbling their merry song, and Chiffchaffs, highly active in the trees, flicking their tails excitedly, noisily and exuberantly letting us, and their prospective mates and rivals, know they had arrived.

Near the feeders, we observed silently as a variety of birds took advantage of the easy food supply, tits flying in briefly to grab a mouthful, before retreating to digest their breakfast at a safe spot in cover. A male Greenfinch looked magnificent with bold green plumage and bright yellow wing flash. A Great Spotted Woodpecker popped by from time to time, always striking to see, but the star birds were a pair of richly coloured Bullfinches perched in the bushes.

As we reached Fattengates, an explosive burst of rapid machine gun notes could mean only one thing -  Nightingale. What a joyous and memorable sound it is, absolutely lifting the spirits and letting us know Spring has arrived and all is well. We failed to locate the bird, as it ceased singing very quickly, probably newly arrived and not quite in full voice yet. It was the only one we heard, but hopefully more will be arriving soon at this well known hotspot for the species.

We strayed beyond the reserve towards the river, hoping for hirundines, which we have found here in the past, but no luck. Also no sound of Reed or Sedge Warbler, presumably their arrival delayed by the cold winds we have been experiencing recently. However, it was a beautiful spot for a KitKat Chunky break! And the Skylarks provided some lilting background music, another song to truly lift the soul.

Back on the reserve we stopped at viewpoints overlooking the Brooks. There were a few remaining ducks and a couple of elegant Avocet, gently sweeping the shallows. The highlight was our first Little Ringed Plovers of the year, although these were some way off, so not the greatest of views even through the telescopes.

We managed a total of 60 species, but today it was not about ticking off species, it was about relaxing and  enjoying the peace and tranquility, indulging the senses so as to to truly experience all that nature has to offer. And it worked it’s magic on us once again.