Pulborough, 3rd-4th March

Very much a weekend of two halves on the patch with the lingering snow and ice making for a rather quiet visit on Saturday, largely devoid of wildfowl and waders aside from a few Lapwing and Snipe. Two Hawfinches were still lingering around the Yews in Wiggonholt Churchyard but otherwise the most notable feature of the morning was the steady trickle of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Common Gulls overhead with fifteen of the former and thirteen of the latter in total, all roughly north-east. Not outstanding numbers but the first pronounced gull passage I've seen this year. Otherwise of note were a hunting male Peregrine causing chaos over the North Brooks and an immature male type Marsh Harrier quartering over the west side of the Arun closer to home. The heath and Hails View proved largely quiet aside from two Ravens rubbing the Carrion Crows up the wrong way and a single flyover Redpoll.

Pretty much the only wildfowl present on Saturday morning, huddled at the 

edge of the ice in front of West Mead Hide

Female Teal trudging across the ice at West Mead

Sunday was an altogether livelier affair, getting off to a good start with a Woodlark singing loudly over the heath - loud enough to be heard above the incessant gunfire from the nearby clay pigeon shoot! As I walked down the Zig Zag it was clear there was some steady Lapwing movement going on overhead - presumably 'return passage' of birds displaced by the cold weather - and seven Golden Plover also flew over heading east. As I passed under the trees at Fattengates a Greenshank called overhead but was not seen.

It was pleasing to see lots of wildfowl back on the North Brooks and wader numbers too had improved overnight with eleven Dunlin representing a site high count for me to date. Also present here were eight Black-tailed Godwits and another two Golden Plover among the Lapwings. Raptors were represented by two Red Kites, a Sparrowhawk and at least two each of Buzzard and Kestrel, although volunteers Neil and Graham also saw two Peregrines and a Marsh Harrier on the other side of the reserve. Seventy Redwings and eighteen Fieldfares moved through during the morning, while three Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew east. Finished off with a look at Wiggonholt Churchyard where the two Hawfinches again made an appearance.

Hawfinch in Wiggonholt Churchyard

Kestrel keeping an eye on proceedings at the Hanger