Sunday 9 January 2022

Pulborough Brooks

 Well after yesterday's bakingfest the weather forecast was excellent so we decided on a visit to Pulborough Brooks, we were up earlyish and on site by 8.10, well done Margie!! It was a cracking morning, sunny and crisp, or kin cold as Margie described it!! She used to the be the glass half full one!!

We were greeted by the usual White Doves but very little else, the feeding station had House Sparrows, Blue Tits, Great Tits but that was about it! We walked down the zigzags for little result and Fattingates was quiet, no sign of any Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers😢 was beginning to think we had made the wrong choice although the scenery as always was excellent.

The Brooks by Margie


White Dove

Lot's of Robins today

Plenty Dunnocks as well

Blue Tit

Grey Squirrel trying to be cute, would be outclassed in the cute stakes later on!

So we headed to the first hide, things got a bit better some nice Wildfowl on the smooth surface, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal and Shoveller of note as well as a few Lapwings dotted about!
Margie captured some Flame Trees!

The view from the Hide by Margie

Scenery by Margie

Margie has captured the view well with the sun catching the trees.

The Wildfowl looked stunning on the mirror surface in the sunshine though a little distant for quality shots!



Pintail

Wigeon

Lapwing

Shoveller

Pintail

Pintail

Lapwing

Teal

Shoveller

Shoveller

Teal pair

Teal in flight
We left the hide and headed round to Winpenny, a Jay just outside the hide was to buried in a tree but Margie managed a shot, the main highlight on this section was a Kestrel perched high in a tree which was having a good old preen, oh and Margie found a Pheasant, I have told her about taking pics of of Pheasants but she insists😏

Margie's picture of the Jay, good work I got nothing!

Margie disgracing herself with Pheasant pic!!

Crispy ferns, Margie said she was going for this effect??? I believe her??!!😏

Reedmace by Margie




Kestrel about to go into preening frenzy!




Gotta get that bit behind the ear!





And relax!
Winpenny hide was quite quiet, a Buzzard on a post, pointed out by another birder, lot's of distant Wildfowl and Lapwing, I picked up a Peregrine very distant, that flew the length of the Brooks, I eventually got Margie onto it!!But it was way to distant for pics!!

Margie got most of the pics from the hide

Ice by Margie

My pic of the Buzzard

View from the hide by Margie

View of the hide and the view by Margie

Canada Goose by Margie (nearly as bad as Pheasants there is no telling her!)

We walked from Winpenny to Jupps View plenty of Robins along the way, I tried to turn a distant Reed Bunting into a Shrike but failed miserably, least I had the Scope to confirm these things!

Margie getting artistic

The view by Margie

Awesome tree! by Margie

Margie's pic of trees

The Brooks from the Hanger by Margie

And again




Robin

Robin
Jupps had a very showy Treecreeper, pointed out to us by the same Birder who ppinted out the Buzzard, thanks again and some distant Nuthatch were calling, the view across the Brooks was interesting with lots of Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing which at one point erupted into flight though I couldn't find the reason for their panic!
Treecreeper



Gravity? heard of it don't believe in it!

Godwits and Lapwing

Black-tailed Godwits


Leaving Jupps, we headed back towards Fattingates, a field to the side of the path was crawling with Redwings and  Starlings, difficult to get pics of though!! Couldn't find any Fieldfares or a Varied Thrush (It must have gone somewhere!! 😀Some nice Licheny stuff on the trees as well!
Lichen




Margie's shot at the Lichen

Move views of the Brooks by Margie

Scenery by Margie, Redwing field on the right

We got back to Fattingates, several birders here now, still no sign off the LSW. Several areas of seed had now appeared, not sure how I feel about putting bait down for Photography, I certainly wouldn't do it especially on a Nature Reserve, although to be fair the RSPB themselves have 2 feeding stations, however my reservations didn't stop me taking full advantage 😁 A photographer was set up on one patch of seed which was pulling in a good number of birds and some Voles which are very cute but also very fast!! Nice Jay sat calmly in the tree above as well which makes a change!!

Jay



Coal Tit, managed a natural shot!


Nuthatch

Vole

Chaffinch

Vole

Nuthatch







We then noticed a family taking a lot of interest in a log pile, more Voles!! C'mon even I think they are cute!! 💕




Look at that little face ahhh!!

Another blooming Robin


As Kestrel food go they are very cute!!

That was about it, a nice showy House Sparrow by the Visitor Center and a Buzzard over the car park finished the morning off. Twelve o'clock when we left and the area around the center and the car park was rammed with people so I think we timed it about right!!

House Sparrow


Common Buzzard
















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