BIRDWATCH AT PULBOROUGH BROOKS RSPB

A pectoral sandpiper, a wader that breeds across northern North America and eastern Siberia, arrived last week and spent a few days feeding on the reserve.

Like the stint, this bird has attracted quite a number of birders to see it. Alongside the pectoral sandpiper, the passage of other migrant waders has continued, with numbers of small numbers of ruff, black-tailed godwits, spotted redshank, ringed plover and dunlin changing daily.

Another change we have seen on the brooks in the past week was more predictable. The arrival of wigeon Anas penelope in ever-greater numbers occurs every year in late August and early September.

On 15th there were only about 30 wigeon present on the floodwaters on the brooks here. By 17th, there were more than 60. In the next two weeks, I would expect that number to have doubled again.

By mid-winter, the mid-Arun valley usually supports around 4,500 to 5,000 wigeon, and they are the most numerous duck on the reserve. Across the whole of England, it is thought between 250,000 and 300,000 wigeon regularly spend the winter here, with number sometimes exceeding 400,000. Many of these birds will have bred in Iceland.

At this time of year, most of the wigeon are still in their eclipse (late summer) plumage, and are a wonderful deep chestnut brown colour.

Ducks of all species go through a moult in late summer during which the usually colourful males become very hard to identify.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette September 26