RXwildlife Sightings

This Sunday (14th September) Paul James will be leading a ‘Rye Bay Bird Safari’ as part of his Sussex Wildlife Walks programme. Areas which we will visit include Pett Level, Rye Harbour, Scotney Pit and Dungeness. Yesterday the two Common Cranes were still at Dungeness and also two White-winged Black Terns, Hoopoe, 2 Ospreys, Black-necked Grebe and Little Stint so hopefully we should see some good birds. If you are interested, please visit his website www.sussexwildlifewalks.com for further details. To book please phone 07709 059181.

Paul James

Rye Farmers Market is pleased to announce the launch of a new market for Rye. It will take place on the second Saturday of the month between 10am and 3pm (starting 11th October). Rye Produce Market is for a wide range of local producers – food and crafts and more – everything is made in, or near, Rye.
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An updated footpath map shows some of the new wetland features of Rye Harbour Farm and the new footpaths to explore without getting lost. Print off a large version to take with you. It is available by “clicking here.”

A relatively calm and bright morning resulted in a good variety of migrants in the area. Most of the interest was overhead where the two Cranes made a couple of sorties to the Point before returning to the ARC Pit. Raptors were in excellent supply with an Osprey perched on one of the pylons near the Observatory, five Common Buzzards, 12 Marsh Harriers, 11 Sparrowhawks and a Merlin all passing through. There were also good numbers of smaller birds passing overhead with four Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 430 Sand Martins, 1000 Swallows, 11 Tree Pipits, 63 Yellow Wagtails, six Grey Wagtails and at least four Crossbills. There were also a few migrants in the bushes with a male Redstart, four Whinchats, 20 Wheatears, two Lesser Whitethroats, three Blackcaps, 15 Willow Warblers and a Pied Flycatcher of note. The sea also provided some interest with 15 Arctic Skuas, nine Little Gulls, a Black Tern and also a Grey Phalarope reported.

David Walker from DBO website.

Further to Cliff’s item on Glasswort I can now report that it is flowering on the saltmarsh at Rye Harbour… but don’t rush to see a great display, because you will be disappointed. The flowers are tiny and you will need a hand lense, or binoculars round the wrong way, to see them!

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Sea Kale has produced lots of seed (each the size of a large pea) this year and now is the season when it uses the wind and the sea to move from place to place, seeking new shingle habitat to colonise. In strong winds the brittle branches break away from the plant and “tumble” across the shingle. If the wind takes it towards the sea the branch will float and drift out to sea, perhaps heading for the shingle in the Baie de Somme across the channel.

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I almost didn’t notice this strange black caterpillar on a gatepost today. I took several photos because I did not recognise it and it was blowing about in the wind.

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Yet another day of very miserable weather but this time with the wind starting SSW and veering SE for a time around midday and with frequent rain it provided some excellent seawatching. Twelve hours continuous coverage produced  25 Manx Shearwaters, ten Balearic Shearwaters, 29 Sooty Shearwaters, 39 Fulmars, 316 Gannets, 66 Arctic Skuas, an adult Pomarine Skua, five Great Skuas, 11 Little Gulls, 348 Sandwich Terns, 1010 Common Terns, two Little Terns and 24 Black Terns all passing west. Three Yellow-legged Gulls were also seen on the beach. In addition, an Osprey and a Merlin came in off the sea and headed inland.

David Walker from DBO website.

In today’s strong winds there was a group of Ringed Plover and Turnstone feeding on the grassland near the river mouth. When I parked up, some juveniles approached quite close, possibly trying to find extra shelter behind the van. There was steady pecking at small prey, but occasionally a Ringed Plover would grab hold of the end of a worm and pull and pull, sometimes the worm won (perhaps by breaking?), and sometimes not with the plover getting a large meal.

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At lunchtime today there were 4 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers and 5 Avocet on the roadside pool.