Wednesday 15th January 2025: Rye Harbour and Pett Level

 After a delicious breakfast at Winchelsea Lodge, we arrived at Rye Harbour nature reserve around 9.30AM. The weather forecast was not promising, with fog or mist predicted for the whole day, but despite wisps of low lying fog when we arrived, this soon lifted to give clear views of the reserve, despite the grey skies.

Our first birds, in a muddy channel as we approached the visitor centre, were Redshank, Curlew and an elegant Avocet, a new bird for the trip, and a delight to see with its long bluish legs, striking black and white plumage, and distinctive uptilted beak.

Avocet (David Park)

Flat Beach was full of birds, and we found a rich variety of waders here. A large battalion of Oystercatchers huddled tight on the shingle bank, whilst the smaller islands overflowed with groups of Golden Power and Dunlin, a sprinkling of Grey Plover and single Black-tailed Godwit intermingled amongst them. Around the watery edges of the scrape, Turnstones and Ringed Plover were incredibly well camouflaged against the stones, more easily seen as they scuttled across the shingle.

A few stocky Brent Goose posed in the water beside an island, and slim, elegant Pintails, with striking white crescents extending to their napes swam gracefully at the back of the pool. Suddenly a Spoonbill arrived on the scene, soon joined by another, and began 'sweeping'  the waters with a sideways motion in their characteristic feeding action. The spatula shaped bills, one pale pink, the other black with custard tip, identified them as a juvenile and adult. Little Egret and Great Egret on the same pool gave a good opportunity to compare and contrast the features of this trio of white birds, which are all increasing in number across the south of England.

Spoonbill (David Park)

On a couple of occasions we observed a mass take-off  from the area, and the skies were filled with vast swirls of waders; large black and white Oystercatchers with pointed orange bills, tiny, twisting grey and white Dunlin, the ever twinkling Golden Plover and Lapwings with softy rounded wings cascading overhead. We searched for a raptor, with Vicci managing to spot a dashing Merlin as the cause of the uproar. A mixed flock of passerines bounced across the sky before dropping to the saltmarsh, where we were able to confirm Clive's identification of Skylarks and Linnets.

Oystercatchers (David Park)

We walked to the sea, and located a distant flock of Wigeon, before relocating to Parkes hide, overlooking a freshwater lagoon. Here we found the usual mix of ducks, and a group of nine Snipe huddled against the bank, showing well in the scope. Completing the circuit back to the visitor centre, a Bar-tailed Godwit was rushing around a sloping island in the middle of the pool, tugging aggressively at its prey as it probed the mud. And on the last stretch of the path, we caught up with a flurry of smaller birds, including Chiffchaff, Stonechat and Dunnock.

We enjoyed a rest and some lunch and a hot drink in the cafe, before returning to the bus, where we were surprised by a very tame Collared Dove, giving a close encounter of the bird kind when it landed on my head!! It worked its way round the group, landing on arms, phones and backs before we escaped onto the bus. 

A short drive to Pett Level to finish the afternoon birding, produced more extended views of Marsh Harrier and a single Ruff foraging on the grass, which was another new trip tick. Climbing the sea wall, we could just make out some straggly lines of ducks on the water. Setting the scopes up these were identified as Great Crested Grebes and Common Scoter respectively, our last bird of the trip.

With a final tally of over eighty species, it had been a very successful couple of days.