Birdwatch at RSPBA Pulborough Brooks

I must admit the rain has been very welcome after such a dry April, although we could have done without the high winds.

However, now that the summer is nearly here, and the weather is improving (well, we hope!) my thoughts turn to one of the bird highlights of the year.

Now I can understand that birders do seem to get overexcited about certain things- the small brown birds that get very lost and attract hoardes of twitchers do not necessarily appeal to the non-birding population. They are best described as a niche market.

Nevertheless there are some birds that should be on everybody's 'to do' list. And for me you really must put that on the list this summer. It is the nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette June 6