Recent Sightings
February 2007
With the increasingly warm weather during February, spring was certainly in the air at Rye Harbour. On the Beach reserve Ringed Plover, Lapwing and Oystercatcher could all be found displaying, with some of the latter already scrape building by the end of the month, while at Castle Water nest building was well underway at the Cormorant colony! At the main sea-bird colony at Ternery Pool, both Mediterranean Gull (below) and Black-headed Gull numbers built up rapidly from mid-month, with maxima of 66 and 900+ respectively.
There were still a few winter visitors around at the start of the month. Bittern were present on several dates, with two at Narrow Pit on the 2nd, a Black-necked Grebe and a maximum of eight Goldeneye frequented the Long Pit until mid-month, up to four Scaup were at Castle Water until the 14th and a maximum of three Smew were present on the reserve, with the latest individual at Narrow Pit on the 18th. In addition, numbers at the Little Egret roost at Castle Water remained high, with 57 birds present on the 5th, 60 Golden Plover were present on Flat Beach on the 24th, and a Jack Snipe was flushed on Harbour Farm on the 25th. Passerines included Firecrest from the viewpoint on the 9th, a Grey Wagtail at Castle Water on the 15th, 10 Fieldfare at Carters Pit on the 1st, the occasional Bearded Tit and Chiffchaff and regular sightings of Rock Pipit on the Beach Reserve, while the resident Corn Bunting flock on Harbour Farm peaked at 75. The highlights, however, were a Dartford Warbler at the Narrow Pits on the 26th, and a pair of Raven at Castle Water on the 18th and 19th.
Numbers of many familiar wader species rose in comparison to January levels as wintering birds were joined by migrants, and significant counts during February included 700+ Dunlin, 447 Curlew, 122 Ringed Plover, 70 Turnstone, and 63 Snipe. Other notable wader sightings included up to 15 Knot, seven Black-tailed Godwit, and the occasional Green Sandpiper, while an unusual visitor was a Purple Sandpiper which was present at the River Mouth from the 24th, the first record at Rye Harbour since 2002, Offshore, highlights included up to 17 Red-throated Diver, 192 Brent Goose, 300+ Common Scoter and a maximum of four Eider. Raptors included the occasional Marsh Harrier, with two on the 3rd, Merlin and Peregrine, with the highlight being an adult male Hen Harrier, an increasingly scarce winter visitor to the reserve, over Harbour Farm on the 9th. At the Narrow Pits, the Long-eared Owl roost was occupied throughout the month, with a maximum of three birds on the 9th, while both Little Owl and Barn Owl also put in an appearance.
The increasingly warm weather during February resulted in a number of interesting non-avian records on the reserve. The Lime Kiln Cottage moth trap was run for the first time this year on 17th, producing a single Hebrew Character, the earliest ever record for this species at Rye Harbour, while other moths on the wing during the month included Light Brown Apple Moth (above) and Emmelina monodactyla. There was even some butterfly activity, with a Red Admiral on the 15th, and a Peacock on the 3rd, while a Common Lizard was basking at Lime Kiln cottage on the 24th! ! Plants in flower during February included Common Speedwell, Coltsfoot, Red Dead-nettle, Common Whitlowgrass, Shepherd’s Purse and Winter Aconite, while fungi in ‘fruit’ as it were included Common Inkcap, Velvet Shank (below) and Jelly Ear.
