Recent Sightings
December 2011
A good selection of waterfowl during December included two Smew at Castle Water on the 6th, two Red-crested Pochard here on the 22nd a pair of Pintail on Flat Beach Level on the 26th, up to five Goldeneye on Long Pit and regular sightings of Bittern at Castle Water, with at least three on the 6th. In addition, a wetland bird count on the 18th found god numbers of waterfowl including 532 Mallard, 452 Teal, 320 Wigeon, 207 Gadwall and 130 Shoveler, while up to 64 Shelduck were present on Flat Beach Level during the month, a record count for the reserve.
Wader highlights during December included Jack Snipe on several dates, with two at Castle Water on the 30th, and regular sightings of Spotted Redshank on the Beach Reserve. The largest numbers were again provided by Golden Plover (above) and Lapwing, with 3000 and 1500 respectively on Flat Beach on the 26th, while up to 160 Curlew roosted on West Beach on the 2nd and 150 Oystercatcher on the shore on the 29th. Other notable sightings along the shore during December included up to 90 Knot, 57 Dunlin, 40 Sanderling, 23 Grey Plover and four Bar-tailed Godwit, while up to five Ruff and a single Black-tailed Godwit were present at Castle Water. Raptors included regular Marsh Harrier and the occasional Merlin and Peregrine, while the highlight was a ringtail (i.e. female or young male) Hen Harrier at Castle
Water on the 9th. Owls included regular Barn Owl at Castle Water and on Harbour Farm, single Short-eared Owl on the 3rd and 10th on the Beach Reserve/Harbour Farm and, a pleasant surprise, a Long-eared Owl at Castle Water on the 6th. Offshore, sightings included up to 250 Gannet, 150 Great Crested Grebe, 28 Red-throated Diver, and the occasional Kittiwake, with the best of the bunch being two Slavonian Grebe on the 31st and, surprisingly, a Great Skua on Flat Beach on the 24th. Passerines during December included up to four Rock Pipit (above) and a Grey Wagtail on the Beach Reserve, up to 35 Fieldfare and the occasional Chiffchaff at Castle Water and Bearded Tit both here and on Harbour Farm, with the highlight being a Dartford Warbler at Castle Water on the 22nd.
Non-avian sightings during December included two Brown Hare on Harbour Farm on the 30th and Stoat at Castle Water on the 1st. Higher than average temperatures during the last few months have seen many unseasonal flowers in bloom and December was no exception, with Bur Chervil (above), Lesser Periwinkle, Wall Germander, Alexanders and Viper’s Bugloss all in flower at Rye Harbour this month.