Swallows, house martins and swifts have been arriving in Groombridge during May – we even had a swallow in our house which I caught and released outside. It only weighed a few grams but was astonishingly strong, bursting out of my grip. We are hearing now chiffchaffs, blackcaps and whitethroats at Broadwater Warren. In my experience birds have never been that abundant in our local RSPB reserve. However this is the time of year to visit early when you can occasionally see stonechats or wood larks and you may even encounter the Dartford warblers. They are often seen with stonechats- look for them creeping around in the scrubby areas or on the Gorse near the Decoy Pond.
Also watch out for the nightjars at dusk in June/July with their unmistakable churring call.
Philip
Wild Groombridge 