A wetland gem with an evocative name to boot, Amberley Wildbrooks is an important site for rare invertebrates, breeding waders and an interesting array of wetland plants. A visit to the Wildbrooks in winter is often bracing, and always muddy. With last month’s floodwaters receding there were still plenty of whistling Wigeon and Teal, Lapwing and Starlings on offer during my recent visit, along with ever-vigilant Stonechats posing on seedheads.
Amberley holds a little bit of raptor heaven and whilst I didn’t find a Hen Harrier this time, there was some consolation amid numerous Red Kites, Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and Kestrels.
A little further along the Arun Valley, I was treated to a Stoat confidently bouncing away from me, before spotting Sussex’s wintering flock of Bewick’s Swans: this year numbering just three. Research suggests that Bewick’s are starting to shun the western part of their winter range, choosing instead to remain further east in Germany, and the reducing numbers in Sussex certainly reflect this.