A wander around Warnham
I had a fantastic day guiding Jennifer around Warnham Local Nature Reserve near Horsham. She was keen for a gentle few hours of birding within a short drive of her hotel and Warnham was the ideal venue.
We started out in the new Discovery Hub, where we enjoyed fantastic views of two Common Terns, including a juvenile splashing happily into the surface of the mill pond. In the distance, a female Mandarin Duck worked her way through the lillies, before a Kingfisher flew along the edge of the reeds near the hide...
The feeding stations were an exciting watch, with repeated visits from a Nuthatch and a Marsh Tit, and a memorable appearance from a gorgeous male Bullfinch. A Song Thrush paraded around in front of one of the screens and we also enjoyed watching the young Greenfinches and Goldfinches, a couple of young Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and plenty of Blue Tits and Great Tits coming and going.
At the dragonfly ponds, a couple of Reed Warblers chuntered and stirred in the reeds but only afforded fleeting glimpses. Looking again at the lake, we enjoyed the antics of at least eight Grey Herons, a nesting pair of Great Crested Grebes, several Gadwall and three Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Then the Kingfisher flew past again, but still wasn't stopping!
