You Recommended This Nature Reserve | RSPB Pulborough Brooks

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:01]All right. Welcome back to Eternal, everyone. Um today we find ourselves down in uh Pulborough Brooks.

[00:00:07]So, a while ago I put a video out where I had uh asked people for recommendations. So, anyone that watches my channel, what's what what reserves do you recommend? What's important to you?

[00:00:19]And uh one of my viewers, Chris, um um he's been watching watching my channel for a long time. We we speak to each other quite a lot. He recommended coming down and seeing this place.

[00:00:30]Um and one of his favorite places to go.

[00:00:33]So, I thought it's Saturday before the weather's going to turn bad.

[00:00:37]And I thought, "Why not get out? Um go down and have a look."

[00:00:41]What it did mean though, it did mean going to bed at 7:30, getting up at 2:00, and I was in my car by 2:30 to get down here for sunrise.

[00:00:50]That's the only thing I don't like about this time of year. It was the sunrises are like 4:15 in the morning.

[00:00:56]Um but I'll say worth it cuz it's it's a lot quieter.

[00:01:01]You can just hear the wildlife around you, right? Um and it's a beautiful. But yeah, let's um let's crack on round.

[00:01:08]Um and we'll go and see what we what what we think of the site.

[00:01:16]Bunny.

[00:01:40]It's another bunny.

[00:01:53]>> [music] >> I've been staring at the same four walls with the noise running circles [music] in my head.

[00:02:03]And the first light falls across the floor.

[00:02:07]And then I know I'd rather be out there instead.

[00:02:12]So, I pull on my [music] boots, grab my coat, take the road while the town's still [music] sleeping slow.

[00:02:21]There's a world outside that's waiting, too.

[00:02:25]>> [music] >> And I'm learning how to [singing] let it pull me home.

[00:02:31]I don't need to know >> [music] >> what I'll find.

[00:02:36]I just need a little [singing] air and time.

[00:02:40]I'll go where the morning [music and singing] goes, where the quiet river flows. Leave the weight behind me for a while >> [music] >> with the sunlight [singing] through the trees and the whole world waking free. I remember [singing] how it feels to smile.

[00:03:06]>> Hey, it's a pheasant.

[00:03:08]What the It's about to dark.

[00:03:34]I think he looks just as confused as I do.

[00:03:38]But, it's in the tree.

[00:03:40]Yeah. I've never I've always seen pheasants crossing the road, diving into diving into hedges. I've never seen a pheasant up a tree before.

[00:03:49]Oh, pheasant. But, yeah, let's get carried on with it.

[00:03:51]>> I'll go where the morning >> [singing] >> goes.

[00:03:59]>> [music] [music] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> That was so cool. Just as I came up to this little causeway here.

[00:05:02]Just as we come down here.

[00:05:05]Clock deficient.

[00:05:07]I mean clock to clock to rodeo, I think it is.

[00:05:10]And it's just a it's just bolted up there.

[00:05:14]I think I made it jump as much as it made me jump.

[00:05:17]Ah, so cool.

[00:05:19]We're coming up to uh Netley's hide now.

[00:05:24]So, I think we're going to take a take a wander up to here.

[00:05:28]And I think there's something else down this way as well. So, let's uh take a wander.

[00:05:36]Okay, so we're just coming up to the uh the first hide.

[00:05:53]>> Let's go and have a little, shall we?

[00:06:01]Yeah, so we're currently we're currently inside this hide at the moment.

[00:06:05]And I can definitely see why this is uh why this is one of Chris's favorite places. And I've only been around a fraction of it.

[00:06:12]All right, and it's giving me very much um that. Do you remember I don't know if you if you ever watched any of my Minsmere videos, but Minsmere always captures me as a place that is um makes you feel like you're in a different world.

[00:06:29]And this is very, very similar.

[00:06:32]And it's um It's beautiful.

[00:06:38]I keep spotting these birds and I'm like, "Ooh, what's that?" And then it's a pigeon.

[00:06:41]And literally pigeons are on top of that tree over there.

[00:06:45]But yeah, just here.

[00:06:46]I've got a little stream that goes round and obviously into the waterway.

[00:06:50]And there's always little warblers which are jumping in and out, which is really, really cool. And as I turned up, there was a pheasant literally just across from me. But where the sun was hitting it, it its whole chest looked bright red. I think you might have just heard it, but that was absolutely fabulous.

[00:07:07]And we've got loads of geese and ducks over here.

[00:07:10]That looks It's just It's a little bit too far away. I could get some photos, but they're just I'd have to crop so heavily.

[00:07:22]But yeah, we're going to sit here for a little while. And then we're going to walk back around because I'm I'm just conscious, right? It's 6:00. The site's pretty big.

[00:07:30]And I'm not going to get to the other sites until the other hides and stuff like that until a little bit later. And uh I'd rather get there earlier.

[00:07:40]So, I'll catch up with you guys in a bit.

[00:07:49]>> [music] [music] [music] >> So, we've just just come out of Netley's hide.

[00:08:17]I'm going to make my way back round now and go around to the other the other side of the wetlands trail.

[00:08:23]Um so, I got some footage of a footage of a pheasant.

[00:08:27]And and some sedge, I think it's sedge warbler. It's quite It's quite far away.

[00:08:32]Um but, I'll be able to identify it when I get it get home on a big bigger screen.

[00:08:37]But, beautiful little area.

[00:08:43]Just wish I had something like a telephoto or like an 800 mil with me.

[00:08:47]Um so, I'll be able to reach out a little bit further.

[00:08:50]But, and I heard a cuckoo.

[00:08:57]>> [laughter] >> So, we'll take a wander around. You never know, might get lucky. But, yeah, let's crack on.

[00:09:07]Ah, it's a jay.

[00:09:10]I've got some fresh air in here.

[00:09:17]I know one thing that I need to work on.

[00:09:19]And that's my fitness.

[00:09:21]Damn, I'm out of breath.

[00:09:23]It's all the other back.

[00:09:26]Three, four months where I didn't do a lot.

[00:09:28]I literally didn't do a lot.

[00:09:31]So, where I used to be out all of the time.

[00:09:36]It's amazing, especially as you older, how quickly your fitness plummets.

[00:09:42]And I'm a Well, you know me, guys. I don't If I don't bring the kitchen sink with me, I don't normally bring stuff out.

[00:09:51]You can see the tripod on the back and everything. So, it weighs a fair bit, but obviously I used to go out quite a lot, so I'm used to it.

[00:10:01]But now, oh, just a little bit up here earlier, and I thought I I thought, no, that's me done. I'm not going to make this.

[00:10:11]Um But on the positive, going back this way, it's downhill, so but yeah, let's carry on around.

[00:10:19]And then we'll see if we can find find the next hide.

[00:10:22]Oh, I'll have to take this jacket off, I think. The sun's coming out.

[00:10:25]So, we're going to head in that direction to Wimborne Priory.

[00:10:30]Wimborne Priory hide, yeah.

[00:10:46]Actually, every time I go to a go to do any talking whatsoever, as per normal, birds start flying around.

[00:10:58]So, we've got all in these bushes here.

[00:11:01]All all in these little little bushes here.

[00:11:04]And you've got all over here, all of the little birds, all small smaller birds, all warblers.

[00:11:09]And they're just diving in and out of all of them.

[00:11:11]But no, that was pretty cool. So, I've just come come out of um Wimborne Priory and I'm going to make me phone.

[00:11:23]Hang on.

[00:12:44]>> So, yeah, that's pretty cool. We've just come out of a Wimpey hide.

[00:12:47]Um a lovely hide, really really nice um nice overlook. And I believe that's um it's about I've been some sighting sightings of there's a white white-tailed eagle down here.

[00:13:00]Um and I think that's one of the highest it gets spotted at.

[00:13:04]Um and not at meat hide as well.

[00:13:08]Um not a lot going on there.

[00:13:10]We've got some footage of a lapwing.

[00:13:12]Yeah, he has his typical He had his typical uh the ducks, the geese, and whatnot.

[00:13:20]But as we come along here, you can see all of these bushes here.

[00:13:26]We've got all these small birds keep trying to distract me and they keep flying in and out of all all the bushes.

[00:13:37]Makes you makes you laugh.

[00:13:40]And but we're going to walk around to I think we're heading down to meet hide now.

[00:13:44]So let's carry on around and let's see see what we see.

[00:13:55]All right, so we're just coming we're just coming up to Westmead hide now.

[00:14:00]All right, little bunny.

[00:14:20]Okay, so we're in Westmead hide.

[00:14:23]Very very quiet.

[00:14:26]And it's quite I'll show you a few in a minute.

[00:14:30]It's quite quite alarming how low the water is.

[00:14:35]And obviously we've we've had a really really hot May.

[00:14:38]And it's um depending on the summer that we're we're going to have it's not going to bode well, right?

[00:14:48]But what can you do? Can't make it rain.

[00:14:52]Um but yeah.

[00:14:55]Lovely site.

[00:14:57]Really really nice. I have to see what Chris Oh, there you go. I know I've mentioned before but I can see why Chris really likes it here.

[00:15:03]Um and it's also the the Woodlark trail um which I haven't gone around yet.

[00:15:09]So when we get back to the car we'll see what the time is.

[00:15:12]Um and I'll see if I see if I'm going to go around that as well.

[00:15:15]But it's what? It's about half eight now.

[00:15:19]Yeah, it's about half eight now.

[00:15:22]So I've already been here like 3 and 1/2 hours.

[00:15:25]And it's really starting to get warm.

[00:15:27]What's it say?

[00:15:29]Yeah, it's already like 22°. So, it's bonkers.

[00:15:35]What's that?

[00:15:36]There's There's a little baby bunny running up and down the gate.

[00:15:45]But, yeah. Um I'll spin it around and I'll just show you this I'll show you this here this little area here.

[00:15:51]Um I mean, I'll catch up with you in a bit.

[00:16:04]So, we've just come Oh, Jesus.

[00:16:06]So, I was just come out of uh West I've just come out of West Mead Hut.

[00:16:10]Very, very quiet.

[00:16:12]And it's extremely hot.

[00:16:15]You wouldn't believe it. It's just It's only 8:00.

[00:16:18]But, we're going to we're going to head on out.

[00:16:21]Um and make our way back to the car.

[00:16:24]And then then uh see how I'm feeling.

[00:16:27]Cuz to be honest, I'm absolutely exhausted.

[00:16:31]So, we are we're coming around and we'll see if there's anything else on the way.

[00:16:36]Um and I'll catch you guys in a minute.

[00:16:41]See, this is This is what I mean, right?

[00:16:44]It's clear.

[00:16:48]This used to be a pond.

[00:16:53]It's terrible.

[00:16:55]Oh, look. There's a little baby [music] bunny over there.

[00:17:03]>> I've been staring at the same [music] four walls with the noise [singing] running circles [music] in my head.

[00:17:12]And the first light [music] falls across the floor.

[00:17:17]And then I I'd rather be out there instead.

[00:17:22]So, I pull on my [music] boots, grab my coat, take the road [singing] while the town's still [music] sleeping slow.

[00:17:31]There's a world outside that's waiting still.

[00:17:36]And I'm learning how to [singing] let it pull me [music] home.

[00:17:40]I don't need to know what I'll find. [music] I just need a little [singing] air and time.

[00:17:50]I'll go where the morning [singing] goes, where the quiet [music] river flows, leave the weight behind me for a while with the sunlight [music and singing] through the trees and the whole world waking free. I remember [music and singing] how it feels to smile.

[00:18:09]Yeah, I'll go where the [singing] morning goes.

[00:18:17]There's a pathway [music] winding through the grass and a breeze moving softly through the >> Right, so I'm back in the car. Um I am absolutely exhausted. Uh I don't think it helped but I did get up at like 2:00 this morning um to get down here. And then obviously with my fitness not being what what it what it used to be, um I think I'll get there in the end in the end but Polesworth Brooks for the first in a few of series I I rate it really highly.

[00:18:46]It's lovely site. Paths are really well done. The visitor center and the cafe where it doesn't open till 10:00 today.

[00:18:51]Um looks very similar to Minsmere so quite large.

[00:18:55]Um they've got kids playground area as well.

[00:18:58]Um and I saw more than I thought I'd go off today.

[00:19:03]I I think the probably the highlight for me was seeing that woodpecker but it was just a shame that I couldn't I couldn't get a photo of it. But we got some decent footage especially with the linnet so I was quite quite pleased with that.

[00:19:13]Uh the lack of water as I know I mentioned it, but and you see it everywhere, but lack of water is really worrying cuz we're only in May.

[00:19:20]Obviously, we've had that heat wave in May, which was just insane. Um so, yeah, let's hope let's hope we have a bit of wet weather because we need a bit of rain. Um and can you believe I'm saying that? I'm in the UK and I'm saying we need some rain. It always rains.

[00:19:35]>> [laughter] >> Um but yeah, no, I'm definitely going to come back down here. I'm probably going to do a sunset shoot. Um cuz I think that means that I have to leave a ridiculous o'clock in the morning and it should allow me to get round a little bit more.

[00:19:47]But no, uh Chris, thank you so much for recommending um beautiful site. I can see why you why you why you love it so much. Hopefully, next time I come down, we we we can meet up together and we'll go around together.

[00:19:59]Um but yeah, guys, thanks so much for watching. Keep an eye out for the next few of series where I go and visit some of the some of the nature reserves that you recommended to me. Catch you soon.

[00:20:09]Bye-bye.