The Bird Population of an Area in Sussex

Abstract

A CENSUS of nesting birds on an area of approximately 20 acres at Woodwards, Burgess Hill, Sussex, was done in 1934, and repeated in 1935. The following condensed notes contain a description of the area with rainfall figures, the numbers of nests and their sites, together with observations on nesting times, and the relative abundance of different species throughout the year. Area. Pasture fields, used for hay; grazing of young stock and occasionally sheep. Field B, a portion of this now has houses and gardens upon it. Until 12 years ago it had always been an arable field. Height. 210 ft. above sea-level. Soil. All Weald Clay. This stretches approximately 4 miles east and west of the area, and 1 mile north and south. Wafer. Only a tiny brook on the south side-an outlet from a pond. Hedges. These are marked as lines on the map. They are of an almost uniform height of 4 ft., and the width varies from 14 to 2 yd.; average width being 14 yd. The foundation of the hedges is hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), with a sprinkling of bramble (Rubus sp.), dog rose (Rosa sp.), and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Field D, however, has a foundation of blackthorn on the north and west, while field E has a south hedge composed of bramble and tiny saplings behind the ditch-saplings too small to indicate on the map. Trees. Chiefly oak (Quercus robur) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior). All marked on the map. Boundaries. North: Burgess Hill, 1 mile along a residential road. A town with a population of 6000. South: Fields, small woods, cattle ponds, a few houses and gardens to the village of Keymer. The South Downs are a mile beyond. East: Houses and gardens border the road, otherwise fields for 1 mile to Ditchling Common-an open space with a fair sized pond, and bordered with thick undergrowths and fields, trees and woods. West: Two private properties of approximately 30 acres. One contains spinneys, a small pond, and a rookery of about forty nests. Then comes the main line of the Southern Railway. Map. The area not investigated is hatched. This part of the map shows where new houses and gardens have been built during the last 5-8 years. Woodwards house and garden are 10 years old. The acreage of the fields is given.