Highlights at Rye Harbour over the last few days have included, on the Beach Reserve, Spotted Redshank and Merlin, and on Harbour Farm at least five Goldeneye (including one or two males) and three Bearded Tit in front of Watch Cottages. At Castle Water, highlights were six Black-tailed Godwit, five Ruff, three Marsh Harrier, three Red-crested Pochard (two males), at least two Bittern and a Barn Owl.
Red-crested Pochard
There are hundreds of kilometres of ditches in the RX area and they contain many rare and endangered species. So you might be interested in the work of Buglife who have a whole web section devoted to this habitat, including some work done in the RX area. Click here to find out more.
Among c.80 Canada Geese and c.70 Greylags this morning, I counted 11 Dark-bellied Brents, 12 White-fronts, 4 Pinkfeet and the Bar-headed Goose that’s been going around with the Canadas this winter. The pools held a drake Pintail and 2 drake Ruddy Ducks, and a huge flock of scoter on the sea included a few Velvets with 7 more Velvets coming past. About 25 Red-throated Divers passed by, some landing on the sea, plus 2 Razorbills and a Guillemot, and single Gannet and Bonxie were reported.
Highlights over the last couple of days have included, at Castle Water, two Bittern, two Marsh Harrier, six Black-tailed Godwit, five Ruff and a pair of Pintail, while best of the bunch today were at least two Merlin on Harbour Farm, the Spotted Redshank on Ternery Pool and a Bar-tailed Godwit on Flat Beach Level.
Merlin
The Sussex Wildlife Trust runs a wide range of wildlife courses throughout the year that can be viewed by clicking here.
Very tame and inquisitive Razorbill swam up to within 4 metres of my surf board 200 metres off Galley Hill Common today (07/01/12).
Wader numbers feeding along the shore and then roosting at high water along shore ridges have been a bit naff so far this winter, so it was good to find 70 Knot, 100 Dunlin, 25 Sanderling and 16 Grey Plover over the last few days. Highlights from Castle water this morning were provided by 2 Bittern and a Barn Owl all inflight from the viewpoint area.
Grey Plover, Sanderling (and Dunlin out of focus foreground)
An out-of-season Common Sandpiper with a Redshank on the mud by St Margaret’s Terrace at midday.
We have had reports of plants flowering unusually late in December. How is the mild weather affecting insects? Today I have had a buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris worker collecting pollen on shrubby honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima in the garden. That means we have an active nest running through the winter (the same species was also foraging in the garden at the end of last month too).
This is not that unusual, as the same species has behaved in a similar way over the past decade, but over the three previous winters, which have been colder, the latest records I have of this species in Northiam are in week 47 of the year, and the earliest in week 9.
The Sussex Wildlife Trust has a regular blog with contributions from its staff and I have just written my first about Rye Harbour wildlife - click here.
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