RXwildlife Sightings

The beachcombing has been pretty cold so far this month but some interesting finds….

Mermaid purses - the usual thornback (ravioli), lesser spotted catfish (dogfish), lots of undulate (larger than the others) and blonde (larger ravioli!),
Green Sea Urchins from Pett Level to Rye Harbour - from the December storms,
Common Otter shells (large like freshwater mussels),
Many cockle shells of a particular size - again washed up from December storms,
Many balloons and ribbons - from Norman’s Bay to Camber,
Plastic nurdles from Camber Sands, - click here and here.
Rubber cheerios!
Lots of footwear too!

If anyone wants to keep up to date with the beachcombing finds I am still tweeting (!) (Andy Dinsdale @Strandliner)
The next beach surveys are next weekend. Rye Harbour Saturday 4th February and Pett Level Sunday 5th February. Pass on to others who may be interested. Lucy will be at Rye Harbour and I will be at Pett Level. For more info click here. to We will aim to have refreshments too! Wrap up warm and bring gloves.

Contact me at strandliner@btinternet.com

Today a small group of Woodland Trust volunteers headed to Brede High Wood’s Holman Meadow. The task was to clear out the invading birch scrub. It was hard work but we all felt very rewarded when we took time to stand back and admire our efforts.
As we were heading back for some warm drinks, (provided by Mike) I spotted an adder on the side of the path. Yes that’s right an adder. Yes in January. I know. Amazing. I don’t believe we had disturbed it. It was away from where we had been working and it had already been around long enough to have fed. A bump can clearly be seen in the snake, perhaps the size on a small rodent.
If you look closely at the picture you may be able to see the snakes tongue tasting the air.
It is also in a position that it takes before it strikes. A good time to use the zoom on the camera I thought. I wonder if this may be the first record for an adder in the UK this year.
If you would like to get involved please contact Mike Jackson at swbjackson@talktalk.net Read the rest of this entry »

The Sussex Wildlife Trust runs a wide range of wildlife courses throughout the year that can be viewed by clicking here.

Come and see the newest Lookers’ Hut on Romney Marsh.
FREE Family Event including The Sheep Show and spinning demo, photo exhibit, crafts, gifts and cards for sale.
Sunday 11th December 11.30-3.30pm Romney Marsh Visitor Centre, Dymchurch Road, New Romney, TN28 8AY. 01797 369487.

Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 December, 10am - 4pm
Produce and craft stalls, cards and calendars, plants, second-hand books, tombola, children’s activities including Christmas tree decoration and badge making, face-painting (11am - 2pm) and lucky dip, photographic exhibition, gift-wrapping service. Plus our usual range of bird food and feeders, optical equipment, natural history books and gifts for all ages.

Sunday 27th November 10am to 4pm.

There’s still plenty to see around the reserve, with long-tailed duck, smew, great white egret, glossy ibis and bittern all present today. Passerines were a bit harder to connect with due to the strong wind but a couple of goldcrests were seen in the shelter of the willow trail and tree sparrows continued to flock in good numbers around the feeders at Boulderwall Farm.

The next Winter Lecture of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve has changed!
On Saturday 26 November @ 2.30pm @ Winchelsea Beach Community Hall, David Lang will be talking about CHILE, A LONG THIN JOURNEY and not the previously advertised THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS by Sue Buckingham.

There is still time for you to enter a team in the Charity Bird Watching Event in the RX Area on Saturday 8th October 2011 in support of RSPCA Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre & Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. Help us to Celebrate 50 years of RSPCA Mallydams Wood and join in the fun.
Click here for full details and registration form in a pdf.
Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 August, 10 am - 5 pm. A fun-packed weekend for all the family. Free entry all weekend. Pond-dipping, face-painting, bug hunting, competitions, games, guided walks and much more! Free goody bag for all kids.

This weekend two beach surveys are taking place:

These are part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch campaign where up to 400 beaches around the U.K are surveyed for all the marine debris that has found it’s way there.  Generally, rubbish of plastic origin makes up 70% of all litter found, with fishing nets and ropes very common.  Our local beaches have turned up toys from Europe, a water colour painting and even a message in a bottle.

Volunteers join in to scour the beach for all traces of rubbish, attempt to identify it all and send the results off to the Marine Conservation Society to be part of a national report.  It can take 2 to 4 hours recording but we are able to make a short stretch of beach litter free for all, including the marine wildlife too.  All the plastic can be around for thousands if not millions of years and is a deadly hazard for birds, fish, cetaceans, seals and others.

All info about these beach surveys can be found at http://www.mcsuk.org

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve has organised the surveys at Rye Harbour on Saturday 23rd July and Pett Level on Sunday 24th July, both starting at 10am .

If anyone would like to join in please can they contact Lucy Balmforth at
lucy.balmforth@eastsussex.gov.uk or 01797 227784 for Rye Harbour surveys, or Andy Dinsdale at dinsdale.woodcote@virgin.net for Pett Level surveys.