This morning a calm Rye Harbour was a very noisy place with hundreds of birds displaying. One of the distinctive sounds was the “yodelling” of Redshank, produced during their quivering display flights - listen here. I have yet to capture a photograph of this flight, but now the birds regularly stand as “sentinels of the marsh” on fence posts. Close to the red-roofed hut they are so used to people that it is easy to photograph them in their breeding plumage.
We had two Chiffchaffs singing in the garden here in Peasmarsh yesterday, and my wife saw the first Orange-Tip butterfly.
Chris Drew by e-mail
Last night the Marshmallow plants growing at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve featured briefly on the BBC program fronted by ethnobotanist James Wong. He produced a remedy for sore throats with the roots of Marshmallow, and also emphasised that you should not dig up wild plants, but grow your own from seed. Click here to watch program.
Highlights this morning have included 250 Sandwich Tern and 125 Mediterranean Gull at Ternery Pool, 12 Wheatear and 11 Avocet on the Beach Reserve. At Castle Water 7 Bearded Tit, 3 Swallow and 2 Marsh Harrier from the viewpoint, 2 Little Ringed Plover and a Green Sandpiper on the new excavations and a Common Buzzard in flight over the main pit.
Our first sedge warbler of the year was heard at Hooker’s pits this morning. Two ravens flew over first thing, a chiffchaff was singing from the car park bushes and three garganey were seen at Hooker’s pits.
Saturday 28th: Slavonian grebe, red-breasted merganser (female briefly at the ARC pit late afternoon), little ringed plover (2 on Denge Marsh), sand martin, swallow (2), white wagtail (2), raven (2).
Sunday 29th: Slavonian grebe (2 on ARC pit, 1 New Excavations), goldeneye (6), common buzzard, avocet, little ringed plover (2), sand martin (2), swallow, white wagtail (3), raven (2).
A quiet half an hour was spent mid morning yesterday at the pools. There were no summer migrants to be seen. A small but steady passage of Linnet were moving eastwards and two Brent Geese also flew in the same direction. Only thirteen Wigeon remained on the pools which also held three feeding Avocet. Later in the morning two Swallow flew northwards up the Pannel Valley.
The vewpoint produced the best highlights this morning with 7 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin which passed overhead, aslo of interest there a male Kestrel was busy catching earthworms in the nearby fields and returning to eat them on a gate post. Two Marsh Harrier and a Peregrine showed well inflight at the northern end of the main pit.
The aptly named Shoulder Stripe is an early spring moth (in the same genus as the equally attractive Streamer) of dog rose and other wild roses, more likely in hedgerows and scrub than in gardens. Even after two years’ regular trapping here in Rye, it’s another new species for my garden.
Ken loved Rye Harbour and you are invited to join us on Friday April 3rd starting from Stonerunner Cottage at 12.30 and walking to the Church of the Holy Spirit for burial at 13.00 hrs. The service to celebrate Ken’s life will be at approximately 13.30 hrs as soon as people can assemble in St Mary’s Rye, as we will be too many for Rye Harbour. There will be a buffet high tea at Rye Harbour Sailing Club afterwards. There will be no formal flowers but small posies picked from your gardens and a collection will be taken for the Bhopal Medical Clinic India.
Highlights from the Beach Reserve today have included 370 Sandwich Tern roosting at Ternery pool at high water, 10 Avocet, 2 Green Sandpiper, 25 Knot, 150 Golden Plover and 5 Wheatear. At Castle Water a Swallow and Grey Wagtail passed overhead at the viewpoint and a drake Garganey gave flight views from the hide.
