12th March 2024: Warnham Nature Reserve

 What a fabulous morning we had on an SDOS outing to this brilliant reserve just outside Horsham. We woke to dismal weather, and a matching sense of gloom - with a minibus booked and several new members on board for their first ever outing, I was concerned it would be a washout. If it had been a 'walking' event we may well have cancelled, but that was not an option with the bus booked and paid for in advance. 

We arrived at the reserve around 10ish and were met by several other hardy members who had made their own way there, giving a group of 21 in total. Jo, one of the rangers who had given a talk to the society last year, was there to meet us with a brief chat about what we could expect to see. Fortunately there are a good number of hides around the reserve to shelter us from the rain, so we set out in search of the birds.

We started at the Discovery Centre overlooking the lake. There was nothing too exciting here, but a Lesser Black-backed Gull close to a Herring Gull provided a good opportunity to highlight the differences between the two species. Beside the weir a Grey Wagtail bobbed around the mossy path, giving good views for all. 

Moving on to the next hide, we had a rich variety of woodland birds back and forth to the feeders, including a lovely showy Nuthatch, and a female Siskin, with streaked flanks and tinges of lemon-yellow around the face. A female Bullfinch also flew in, looking somewhat beefy with its dark cap and hefty bill in comparison to the slender Siskins. 

Nuthatch

After some time enjoying the activity here we moved on to Woodpecker Hide, ideally set up for photography, with seating overlooking a number of busy feeders. We had been worried about the rain, but in fact the poor weather meant the catkins usually providing food to the Siskins were closed up. As a result, the feeders were absolutely full of these birds, with the males looking magnificent with their bold yellow breast, black caps and green-tinged backs.

Siskin and Goldfinch

Soon a number of Redpolls flew in, a first for many in the group, and their colourful plumage blew everyone away. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, made a couple of fleeting passes through, and a pair of Reed Buntings came to feed on the ground. Before long, a couple of greedy Pheasants also waddled in for a spot of lunch.

Redpoll

There were plenty of Great Tits and Blue Tits around too, and eventually a nervous Coal Tit made a few brief forays, followed by a couple of candy-pink Long-tailed Tits, delighting one new member who was just asking if they had any at the reserve, when they flew in.

Coal Tit

The last hide we visited again looked out over the lake, but apart from a Grey Heron skulking in the reeds, a couple of Tufted Duck and a flock of Teal flying over the lake, there was little to keep us here. By now it was lunchtime, so the majority of the group returned to the visitor centre for coffee, whilst a few others continued to the boardwalk. A Treecreeper was probably the star bird here, with some members also encountering a Mistle Thrush.