Sightings today include little stint, wood sandpiper, common sandpiper, curlew, whimbrel and hobby. The day’s highlight was provided by an osprey flying over the reserve. Late in the afternoon 17 black-tailed godwits, wood sandpiper, green sandpiper and greenshank were seen from the viewing screen.
Sharp-eyed youngsters could find only four “Mermaids’ Purses” at last week’s Rye Harbour NR event, stranded above the high-tide mark, often trapped among Sea Kale, where the brisk SW wind had tumbled them.
These egg-cases of skates and rays can be identified by soaking them to regain their original size and then referring to the useful guide from the Shark Trust.
(http://www.eggcase.org/).
The cases retrieved turned out be 3 of Thornback Ray and 1 of Spotted Ray.