Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Wildlife Sightings: April 2025

David Bentley

Volunteer and Trustee of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Hot on the heels of the sunniest March on record, came the sunniest, and third warmest, April on record for the UK. Rainfall was well below average. This long period of dry, warm weather may be great for visitors, but bear in mind that it brings problems for birds, particularly those that require soft ground for feeding. 

April is always an exciting month, with the bulk of our summer migrants making their first appearances back on the nature reserve. The first returning Little Terns were seen on 7^th (there would be 14 present by the end of the month), when there were already more than 200 Sandwich Terns already in situ; the first Common Tern was spotted on 9^th. A single Little Gull was seen on 3^rd. Spring Black Terns in breeding plumage are a real treat. There was one at Castle Water on 12^th and another at Flat Beach on 23^rd.

A Hen Harrier was seen at Castle Water on 8^th and again on the 14^th. Another was recorded in between those dates, by the river on 10^th. It's not clear how many birds these sightings involved. One lucky visitor happened upon a roosting Long-eared Owl at the start of the month and a Short-eared Owl was seen hunting on a few occasions between 27^th and 30^th.

A Bittern continued to 'boom' intermittently at Castle Water, where a summer plumage Black-necked Grebe was seen on 9^th. There were 12 Cattle Egret in the fields north of Camber Castle on 8^th, rising to 14 on the 10^th. The first Spoonbill for a while, graced the New Saltmarsh on the 22^nd. The first Cuckoo of the year, always special, was heard calling early in the morning on 14^th near Watch Cottages.

Water levels at Castle Water are still too high for waders (although there was a Greenshank there on 19^th), and so the Flat Beach and New Saltmarsh provided the best opportunities with nine Black-tailed Godwit on 24^th, 34 Bar-tailed Godwit on 26^th and 52 Whimbrel on 27^th.

Our over-wintering Spotted Redshank was changing its appearance as the month progressed, rapidly approaching full summer plumage when it was last seen on 19^th. This was almost the same date that, likely the same bird, was last seen in spring 2024.

Quality habitat for breeding waders is almost non-existent in the wider countryside, so the reserve's wetlands are of critical importance. A pair of Lapwing seen with at least three young at Nook Meadows on the 25^th was living proof.

Warblers were back in force by the end of the month with first recorded dates this month being 6^th for Sedge, 10^th for Reed, 11^th  for Common Whitethroat and 15^th for Lesser Whitethroat.

The first lemon-drop male Yellow Wagtails are always delightful to see; there were six on 9^th and four on 16^th at Castle Water. Spring Whinchats are hard to come by, so one on 26^th near Nook Meadows was lovely.

A Downy Emerald dragonfly was seen on 27^th, near Barn Pools.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax and Sea Kale are coming into flower on the beach. Further inland, Common Gorse is past its best, but Hawthorn is in full flower.

It's moth-trapping season once again, with a Common Quaker found on 1^st, a Clouded Drab and Hebrew Character on 2^nd and a Muslin on 8^th. 

Towards the end of the month, sightings included a Pebble Prominent on 21^st and a Buff Tip, Swallow Prominent and Treble Lines on the 28^th.

Thanks go to all the visitors whose observations contribute to the monthly sighting reports. If you have spotted something interesting on the reserve, please do make a record via https://irecord.org.uk/, and if you think it is particularly significant, please let us know at [email protected].