Thursday 15th January 2025: Rye Harbour

After an excellent breakfast at our lodge in Winchelsea, we were less enthusiastic to rush out today as the weather forecast was awful! Steve and Bernie, in their own car, decided to bail, but the rest of us donned the waterproofs and set off to Rye Harbour, where we managed another highly successful, if very soggy, day.

We started at Gooders Hide, overlooking the Flat Beach area of pools, shingle banks and islands, with some saltmarsh and mud in front of the hide. A Spoonbill rested on one of these islands but declined to show his bill. We were prepared to be patient, but somehow this large, conspicuous white bird managed to take flight and move on without any of us noticing! Maybe we were distracted by the flock of Golden Plover bunched on the islands, which occasionally took to the air, descending slowly earthwards in a great golden cloud. We searched in vain for raptors as a possible cause of these movements.This is a great area for waders, and it did not disappoint, with Grey Plover, Turnstone, Dunlin, Snipe, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Redshank and Lapwings all here, alongside the Golden Plovers. An Avocet was also added later, pointed out to us feeding in a channel by the reserve staff.

Golden Plover

There were decent numbers of Pintail here, beautiful, elegant ducks with long necks, and the males sporting a chocolate-brown head, with distinctive white crescent. A female Goosander roosted on an island with its head tucked under its wing, another stunner, with subtle grey plumage and a strongly demarcated chestnut-orange head. It occasionally lifted its head to preen, revealing a slender, long bill, with distinct ‘saw’ tip.
The light was not good, but we could make out some small birds feeding on the shingle, and eventually we agreed these were Skylarks, although Meadow Pipits were seen not far away later in the day.

Feeling the cold, we adjourned to the visitor centre, for a hot drink, and plenty of seats, apparently the only people foolhardy enough to venture out in such conditions! We lingered as long as possible, before braving the wet again to walk past the caravan site to the next hides. We hoped for a Spotted Redshank but did not find one. We did however find the sneaky Spoonbill, still refusing to show his bill, but the general shape and sturdy legs all suggested it was definitely not an egret. A Little Egret with yellow feet posed beside the muddy path, and a pair of Kingfishers landed on a post in thesaltmarsh . On the water several Little Grebe bobbed and dived, then three Brent Geese flew into view right at the back of the pool, near the hide where we started. Everyone magaged to see them in the scope

We took the coastal path back, finding three Grey Partridges on our way, and enjoying a flypast from around twenty Brent Geese. The Meadow Pipits were close to the path, but mobile, and the grey, wet weather made viewing difficult, so by now completely drenched, we returned to the visitor centre for lunch. 

Abandoning plans for another stop at Pett Level, we headed for home mid-afternoon, arriving home before 5PM. Despite the weather on the second day, it had been a fantastic trip, with some quality birds and great experiences with a lovely group of people.