Welcoming in the Wheatears 2016

For the past five years I've arranged a Spring walk on our Southerham reserve near Lewes to look for one of our first returning summer migrant birds; the wheatear.

The town of Lewes was bustling today but, just 30 minutes walk from the High Street, one of the natural world's most incredible migrations was taking place.

Wheatears are returning from their wintering grounds south of the Sahara. Each year these birds pass through our Southerham reserve on their way to their breeding grounds further North. Amazingly some of these northbound wheatears may even be heading beyond the UK to Greenland and even Eastern Canada. It's a long migration for such a small bird and each year I'm joined by people eager to catch a glimpse of a wheatear as it passes through Sussex.

Today was no exception and over 30 people walked up to Southerham on a calm, sunny day. This year's prize for the first wheatear spotter was a Gingerbread Person - which certainly motivated some of the children who had joined us.

I must confess I was a little concerned when the usually reliable fence along the edge of the valley was rather wheatear-free. I scanned the Downs all around but there wasn't a wheatear in sight. Then as we walked towards Bible Bottom Annie yelled out that she could see the white rump of a wheatear and soon we were able to locate 8 wheatears feeding amongst the ant hills.

(As Annie doesn't like gingerbread the rules state that the prize had to be shared out with any attendees aged under 18 - so 9 children received various gingerbread body parts).

Thank you to everyone who came along on a lovely walk over the South Downs.