Warnham LNR

Finally the water level has started to drop on the Reserve and the muddy margins we created in the autumn are starting to appear and look suitable for wading birds. Whilst sitting in the Tern Hide this afternoon I noticed a wader drop in to the Swan Island Reedbed. It immediately vanished though my first thoughts were Green Sandpiper but I thought it was strange I couldn't see the bird on the island. Soon enough I realised that the wader was in fact a Common Snipe which had looked pale due to the sunlight. It stayed all afternoon and allowed a few visitors to catch up with this scarce species for the Reserve. 

Herring Gull - Overgrown bill

Elsewhere on the Reserve we also had a visit from a rather unusual looking gull. The first-winter Herring Gull above has for some reason developed an overgrown upper mandible. It didn't seem to be affecting the bird in any way however and probably serves it quite well in being able to open tin cans at the tip!

In Millpond Plantation on Tuesday we had Horsham GreenGym pay us another visit to help with the woodland thinning just off the first boardwalk. Fuelled by tea, coffee and biscuits we managed to get plenty done dramatically opening up the woodland floor. Most of the bigger timber was left on site to be extracted at a later date and the brash was burnt on a very impressive fire.