Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Wildlife Sightings: January 2025

David Bentley

Volunteer and Trustee of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Much of the UK enjoyed significantly above average sunshine in January, but not here in Rye. There was a little less sun and it was slightly wetter and cooler than average. The old year seamlessly transitioned into the new one, with only subtle shifts in bird sightings and numbers.

Our long-staying Spoonbills remained and had indeed increased to five present on 30^th. Cattle Egrets continued to be seen from time to time, with one near the Castle Water viewpoint on 8^th and 12^th. Occasional sightings of Bittern continued at Castle Water with probably two birds seen on 12^th. An adult Little Gull was on the beach strandline on 13^th.

White-fronted Geese are scarce winter visitors to the reserve, so three at Castle Water on 12^th and six at Nook Meadows on 29^th were very welcome records. The Brent Goose flock on the new saltmarsh had thinned out, but there were still six on 3^rd. 

There was only a single female-type Goldeneye seen at Barn Pool West on 10^th and 12^th and likely the same bird at Castle Water on 25^th. It's fascinating how duck numbers fluctuate around the reserve, usually associated with changes in weather or water levels. 300+ Shoveler at Castle Water on 12^th was an excellent count.

Red-throated Diver is a relatively common winter visitor out in Rye Bay, with regular sightings from the beach, but they rarely appear in the reserve itself. One at Long Pit on 25^th was noteworthy. The wintering Spotted Redshank was present throughout the month, but rather mobile.

There were some good counts of waders at Flat Beach with approximate maximums of 3,000 Golden Plover, 1,200 Lapwing, 500 Oystercatcher, 250 Dunlin and 50 Ringed Plover. 

It was nice to see one Bar-tailed Godwit on 2^nd and two Black-tailed Godwit on 8^th, both species from Gooders Hide. Up to three Avocet were around and in the next few weeks the numbers of this graceful wader should increase as we head towards the breeding season. Talking of which... a pair of forward-thinking Oystercatchers were seen mating on 15^th!

There have been a few Ruff around the reserve, with eight counted at Flat Beach on 12^th. These can sometimes be over-looked, perhaps mistaken for the more common Redshank, but look carefully and you'll see that they have odd little 'pea' heads, relatively large bodies, long-ish necks and slightly curved beaks, which give them a very distinctive shape.

Very cold weather on 11^th led to an interesting occurrence. As much of the main reserve's shallow water was frozen, some birds had moved onto adjacent grassland to feed. At the edge of Flat Beach, Snipe kept taking off just a few metres from the footpath where moments before they had been completely invisible, hidden in the vegetation. How many birds were lurking there, out of view, is anybody's guess!

Perhaps the bird of the month was a Hooded Crow at Flat Beach on the 4^th. This very scarce winter visitor to the reserve is a separate race to, but the same species as, the common Carrion Crow and would be familiar to residents of Northern Scotland and Northern Ireland where it becomes the default version of the species.

There were several exciting sightings of Humpback Whale in the area, including an unconfirmed report of one breaching in the bay from the reserve on 3^rd.

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].