Williamson's Weekly Nature Notes May 20 2009

I have no idea whether this place still exists. However, it is typical of many old hammer ponds and furnace ponds across the weald where smelting took place from Roman times until about 1740.

The Elizabethan era was one of the periods of high activity. All this industry produced inland waters nowadays useful for dragonflies, diving ducks, herons, and possibly even otters.

Some, like Burton Park lake, are excellent for wildlife. Others, like the one at Verdley Wood, near Fernhurst, are small and overshadowed by pine trees to attract much wildlife.

Today the strongholds of the great crested grebe are the Sussex reservoirs. Weir Wood has about 50 birds there throughout the year, Bewl Bridge about 100, while Darwell has about 30 birds and Arlington a dozen.

So anything up to 500 great crested grebes may be found in Sussex at anyone time.

I always see them on what I call the Lake District, the gravel pits on the south east side of Chichester.

Here about 40 birds are often present. But it is so easily overlooked. This morning I was out looking for one amid the depths of Ivy Lake and the light was so placed as to show only the silver reams a grebe was pushing either side of its body.

The water was otherwise black, the bird was in shadow, its neck was down and pointing forward like a punt gun.

At first I thought we had a large bream cruising near the surface. The bird's neck ruff and ear tufts were drawn in tight as well.

Yet at times the pairs make themselves so obvious as they stand up in the water when they present each other with a parcel of water-weed as a wedding gift, you can see them a quarter of a mile away.

That very long neck must have given Sussex people the idea that these birds should be called Rolling-Pin.

Of course, they were much in demand centuries ago as head gear. Birds were skinned, the thick skin cured, the whole ensemble complete with feathers used as a waterproof hat.

They were also much in demand in glass cases for Victorian home decorations. A century ago, there were only 30 pairs breeding in Sussex, so today the increase is remarkable.