Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Wildlife Sightings: February 2025

David Bentley

Volunteer and Trustee of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

February at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is notable for the return of two of its iconic breeding species. One or two Avocets have lingered here throughout the winter, but it's only now that numbers start to build in earnest. Over 70 were counted from the Discovery Centre on the 26^th. 'Our' birds may have spent the colder months further south, perhaps in southern France or with the English wintering flocks in the Thames and Medway Estuaries and further along the south coast, from West Sussex to Dorset. As a UK breeding bird the Avocet has successfully spread west and north from its heartland in East Anglia and first nested here in 1995. The first birds back in Rye initially form flocks, generally on or close to Flat Beach, but they will also feed along the River Rother around Northpoint. As the spring progresses they will spread out around most of the reserve's shallow waterbodies in order to breed and raise their young. We might hope that around 50 pairs will be present.

The other bird that returns in February is the Mediterranean Gull; the first was seen this year on the 21^st. Listen out for their very distinctive nasal 'mewing' and look up to see brilliant white wings, black hood and blood-red bill. In the coming weeks there will be many Mediterranean Gulls over and around the reserve and in nearby grasslands. A few of these may stay to breed at Rye Harbour, but most continue heading east to the low countries and beyond.

A Red-throated Diver was at Castle Water on the 11^th. Also seen at Castle Water were a Bittern on the 6^th and a Barn Owl on the 15^th.

Rye Harbour is one of the country's most reliable places to find the scarce Black-necked Grebe in winter; so it was that two birds were on Long Pit from the 13^th until the end of the month.

The reserve's over-wintering Spotted Redshank was present until at least the end of the month, with exceptionally clear views on the 28^th on the edge of the New Saltmarsh, near Cuckoo Corner. It is worth keeping an eye on this bird if it continues to linger, as it should soon start moulting into its summer plumage. This is one of the most dramatic transformations of any of our birds, switching from ghostly-pale winter greys and whites into a breeding plumage of charcoal-black with white speckling. A few Ruff were still scattered around the reserve throughout the month.

Both Peregrine and Merlin excited visitors and disrupted the Flat Beach birdlife on the monthly Guide in a Hide event, at the Gooders Hide on the 15^th. Wintering flocks of Chaffinches have been scarce in recent years, but 40 were counted near the Castle Water viewpoint, also on the 15^th.

Many of our wintering wildfowl and waders remained in good numbers throughout February, but as March progresses they will start to dwindle.

On milder days this February, insects started to show themselves; these included Red Admiral butterfly and Marmalade and Drone-fly hoverflies.

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's particularly significant, please let us know at [email protected].