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The Valley in June

June can be a quiet month for birds in the valley, with migration northwards drawing to a close and birdsong petering out as residents and summer visitors settle down to breed.

 But while far fewer passage birds are seen, they are often special. That was certainly the case with a Red-necked Phalarope that turned up at Pulborough Brooks on the 13th, a very rare bird in the Arun Valley and the first record for the reserve. That was followed on the 18th by a Wood Sandpiper, less rare than the phalarope, but still far from common, especially at this time of year.

 Like many passage birds seen in the first half of June, it is hard to tell if the phalarope was late on its journey north or an early returnee. However, while seen only five days later, the latter is more likely to be the case with the Wood Sandpiper, since two Green Sandpipers were also there. Given these species’ journeys are so long, their breeding seasons are very short.

 That can be equally true for local breeding birds, whether residents or summer visitors. Tracking them down can be difficult, especially in the case of woodland species, since song may be scarce and the birds elusive.

 But the rewards can be great. Late June proved that when a female Hawfinch and at least one juvenile were seen in woods to the west of Arundel, in what may be the first proven breeding record for Sussex this century. June may be a quiet month, but it is not a time to stop birding.

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