Birdwatch
DESPITE the snow and frosts, there has been a steady trickle of migrant birds appearing over the last week- today's highlights have been 'our' first cuckoo and whitethroat of the spring, while blackcaps , chiffchaffs and willow warblers are singing from the hedgerows all over the site.
Swallows, sand martins and the odd house martin are now being seen quite frequently.
Many of the resident birds, such as blackbirds and long-tailed tits, are busy nest building or even feeding young and the first mallard ducklings have been seen on the brooks.
Our most famous migrant bird, the nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos, has yet to appear on the reserve.
For full feature see West Sussex Gazette April 16