The Nature Page
A PERSONAL ROUND HILL NATURE COLUMN
By Paulo Oprandi
From The Round Hill Reporter February 2025
I have been in the Round Hill area since 2005 where I got increasingly interested in nature. My bird feeder didn’t attract one bird but a neighbour’s feeder used to attract Goldfinch, which I spied with much envy. I did go for a couple of walks with Sussex Wildlife Trust during that period where I learnt a little about birds in Sussex. There is hardly a UK bird I haven’t seen from my window, from Fieldfare to Redstart, and I’ve since become an avid wildlife and nature recorder.
The birdlife has changed massively and not for the better, this year there are still birds, but the diversity is much less. This winter I have mainly been entertained by the armies of Blue Tit, some Great Tit, Robin, House Sparrow, Wood Pigeon, Wren and a Sparrowhawk, I was even frequented one November afternoon by a Ring Ouzel - a mountain blackbird, which is a very rare garden sighting indeed!
However, it is none of these things that I have become known for in the Round Hill community.
We have always had Toads in the front and back of the house, as well as a few Frogs, and in 2019 a Roundhill Toad Patrol was set up by Kate Walthemstow, a local ecologist. The patrol monitors amphibian numbers on Cats’ Creep where they congregate during their breeding season. We count the number of amphibians through the late Winter/ early Spring nights and in our best years we have counted over 400 toads and over 50 in a night. Despite joining the group late, I have become known as the Roundhill Toad Patrol Officer, a badge I carry with great pride. This year the count will continue, but in-line with much of our garden fauna, we have been seeing a steady decline in numbers. We are hoping 2025 will buck the trend. Round Hill wildlife has helped inspire my love of nature, and I encourage you all to spend a few minutes every day looking at any green space you can see from your home. You too might find things that intrigue and delight you.
This page was last updated by Ted on 23-Apr-2026