Saturday 14th April 2007
Pulborough Brooks
Another of our regular trips to Pulborough
brooks today. This time to see if the stone curlew spotted yesterday was still
there. It wasn't, but that didn't matter because we saw a female adder, which was just
as exciting. It was basking on the path outside Winpenny Hide and because we
were chatting we didn't see it until we were almost on top of it. It was about
18 inches long, very dark in colour, with the distinctive zigzag markings
running down its back. It noticed us at about the same moment that we noticed
it, and it then moved off slowly into the brambles beside the path. It made our
day to see it! It all happened too quickly to get a photo and we are still
kicking ourselves for not paying proper attention.
There were swallows and willow warblers on the reserve today as well, the first
time we had seen them this year. We also saw a mouse climbing in the brambles at
the Hanger. We couldn't tell what species it was though although it looked like
a wood mouse.
My traditional picture of the view from the hanger. It was
so hot today. I rode to the reserve and home again in a t-shirt.
We also came across this egg, (which we think is a
starling or possibly a robin, we are not good on eggs) which had very recently
been eaten by something.