Every year the RSPB Pulborough Brooks hosts a summer BBQ as a 'thank you' for the volunteers. The weather hadn't be great today, so I was expecting this year's event to be undercover or at least the possibility that we were going to get wet. However, arriving at the reserve the sun was out, although showers loomed on the horizon.
The BBQ was in full swing cooking up the burgers and sausages for later. We assembled and set off in three groups to survey the heathland area. Paul - one of the wardens talked us through the changes that have been made so far and the plans for it's long term development.
A number of trees have already been felled and the idea is to return it to heathland over time. Highland cattle have been grazing in the central fenced area and have done a good job of trampling the bracken and opening up areas. The black pond at the bottom of the hill is a great attraction for dragonflies, although it's dark, peaty water doesn't look very appealing.
More felling later in the year will clear areas and thin out denser woodland but leaving some specimen trees and a few dead ones for interest. There are some old oaks around the edge of the heathland, down near the pond and apparently, if you clear everything around them too quickly they can go into shock and die, so the trees will be thinned gradually.
Paul also explained their plans to introduce a series of ponds and streams running down the hill, great for more dragonflies and to channel the rain water which tends to just pour straight down the hill. Where the vehicle tracks have disturbed the soil you can already see the heather starting to come through. Give it a few years and the area will look completely different.
They've started coppicing the sweet chestnut again which will improve the area for wood larks and nightjar and you can see the difference between the two newly coppiced areas and the thicker stems in the old coppiced area.
Back to the Visitor's Centre and some us walked down to The Hanger to look out for barn owls. They've been making a regular appearance between 6-7pm on recent evenings. Inevitably with dozens of binoculars trained on the brooks this evening wasn't one of them, although it was turning in to a lovely evening.
Back for food and a brief chat with the others volunteers who were already done with eating. Many of them are regulars on the working parties, so I rarely see them except for these events. Finishing off with a few long service awards and thank-yous.
Those of us who were left and still keen, headed back out to the heathland at around 9.00pm to listen out for the nightjars. We stood at the edge of the new chestnut coppice with a view of one of the favoured singing perches and waited. Shortly after we arrived one churred close by and then stopped. A small bat (pipestrelle?) was flying past above our heads. There were a few distant churrings heard and still we waited. A couple of people could wait no more and went off home.
Finally at about 10.00pm, just after another person had dropped out - we had a great view as one flew over our heads to the perch and proceeded to churr loudly, readjusting itself and then carrying on for several minutes. A great end to the evening and worth staying for.
