Our Rivers - Boldings Brook - tributary of the Arun

Boldings Brook is a fine example of a Wealden stream, with its sources to the north of Horsham, (West Sussex), in Surrey, where water from the Surrey Hills (subject to very heavy rainfall at times) drains into the valley and the stream, now in Sussex, meanders through meadows often flooded in winter and enters Warnham Millpond. Chennels Brook to the east enters the Millpond nearby. Boldings Brook leaves the Millpond via sluice gates to the south and flows, with steep-sided, wooded banks with some very fine old oaks and diverse thickets forming a rich wildlife corridor, to join the River Arun at a meandering confluence.

Boldings Brook in summer, clear running water with some muddy banks popular with birds and plenty of river bank vegetation to provide shelter.

A large Spindle tree full of fruits in a thicket with Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Hazel, Dog Rose, Ash and Oak at the confluence of Boldings Brook and the River Arun, a superb mixture of Riparian vegetation supporting a large number of species, some common and some scarce.

YESTERDAY 28th September 2011 on a walk along Boldings Brook and the Arun at Hills Farm Lane (our area) the following species were recorded:

robin (24), woodpigeon (20+),  carrion crow (3),  blue tit (33,  great tit (18),  nuthatch (6)  , song thrush (1),  willow warber (1),  chiffchaff (4),  greenfinch (12),  treecreeper (1),  jackdaw (2),  goldfinch (12),  blackbird (9),  chaffinch (4),  wren (9),  grey wagtail (1),  magpie (2),  linnet (1),  house sparrow (16),  herring gull (11),  great spotted woodpecker (1),  long-tailed tit (2+),  bullfinch (1),  green woodpecker (1),  jay (1),  kingfisher (1),  reed bunting (1),  buzzard (1). Butterflies: Red Admiral (4),  Speckled Wood (8),  Large White (3) and millions of spiders casting their long webs across trees, thousands fo Craneflies low over the river banks and grass.    

    

Autumn has arrived on the riverside

Yesterday, Sunday, started very overcast with clouds scudding fast through the sky predicting the tail-end of an Atlantic hurricane to come. The wind was tearing through the leaves on the poplars drowning out any  small sounds that might give away the presence of birds hiding under cover and the air was full of flying seeds - but there were many sheltered places along the bank, with thickets still in full leaf. 

Millions of insects were out over the river, with some impressive dragonflies: a Brown Hawker,  Migrant Hawkers (3) and Southern Hawker (2) all in the sheltered river confluence area. Large White butterflies (10+), Small White (2) ranged along the banks whilst Specked Woods (12+) chased in pairs high into the canopy and low

down on the river. When the sun shone briefly, a smart Small Copper butterfly appeared in the vegetation along a warm patch of thistles.

  Small Copper butterfly

At the base of a very old oak, plants forming a perfect feast for birds and insects alike were fruiting and flowering: Spindle loaded with fruits, Rosa canina, branches weighed down with rose hips, Blackthorn full of sloes and flowering ivy covered with feeding insects.

Old oak with Spindle, Dog rose, Blackthorn and ivy

Here are the birds and mammals recorded along our stretch of the river Arun and Boldings Brook - just a short walk on this cloudy and windy morning:

robin (9),  wren (2),  house sparrow (22),  blackbird (5),  song thrush (1),  magpie (6),  green woodpecker (4),  woodpigeon (30+),  goldfinch (10),  crow (3),   great tit (15),  blue tit (35), bullfinch calls (2),   dunnock (1),   chiffchaff (3),   chaffinch (5),   swallow (20+),   kingfisher (1),  house martin (15+),   herring gull (50+),   common gull (4),   nuthatch (3),   kestrel (1),  goldcrest (1),  blackcap alarm call (1), collared dove (1)  and mammals:

Roe deer, bank vole, grey squirrel

Our rivers - first, the Arun

The River Arun has its source not many miles away, rising from ghylls in St Leonards Forest, then flowing through Chesworth farm. Here on the Riverside at Hills Farm Lane the river for most of the year appears like a quiet stream but with steep high banks. It is ideal for wildlife as the banks provide shelter and a large variety of food plants for birds, mammals and insects.

Aquatic plants and river bank vegetation mean a healthy river

On a hot day most birds seek shade and water here. Looking up into trees and high thickets you will ask - where have all the birds gone? - it all looks deserted! This is where they are. During the late summer moult many birds will hide away whilst they lose their old feathers and grow fresh plumage - some may not even be able to fly far therefore they need a place to hide from predators and yet have a source of food nearby.

You may also ask - where have all the insects gone? They are concentrated in damp river beds with plenty of vegetation and provide a rich source of food both for birds and bats. The summer migrant warblers are feeding up ready to leave on the long journey south to overwinter, gathering the maximum food for the minimum amount of effort - our River provides all this.

For example on 30th August, an overcast day with dew on the grass, birds seen along a short stretch of the river Arun and its tributary Boldings Brook included:

bullfinch, acrobatic chiff-chaff, willow warbler, whitethroat, chaffinch, greenfinch, nuthatch, jay, house sparrow, blue and great tit, numerous robin, wren, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, dunnock, goldfinch, grey heron, blackcap, woodpigeon, collared dove....