Recent Sightings
June 2009
Now the breeding season has been under way for a couple of months, the wardens can begin to take stock of this years breeding birds. With exception of our Little Terns, the breeding seabirds are having a very good year, with around 1600 pairs of Black-headed Gull, 90 pairs of Mediterranean Gull (below), 500 of Sandwich Tern and over 200 of Common Tern nesting on Ternery Pool. On Harbour Farm, Grey Partridge, Yellow Wagtail and Corn Bunting seem to be coming along quite nicely and at least four pairs of Little Ringed Plover are present, (with perhaps one more at Castle Water) while, the Avocet managed to get at least five young to fledging.
An exciting development this summer has been the presence of at least one Bittern at Castle Water, and this month was no exception, with regular sightings both here and occasionally at Narrow Pit. In addition, a brood of Garganey was seen from the viewpoint on the 4th, while nine individuals were present here on the 26th, a record count for this species on the reserve. Waders showed some evidence of passage movement during June, with up to 13 Curlew present as well as small numbers of Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Knot and both Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit. Lapwing numbers are also building up, with flocks of several hundred present at Castle Water late in the month. While Little Tern did not breed on the reserve again this year, small numbers were present throughout the month, while up to two Roseate Tern (below) frequented Ternery Pool at high tide during mid-month, and a Little Gull was
roosting in front of Crittall Hide on the 17th. At Castle Water, our breeding Bearded Tit seem to be having another good year, with regular sightings from several spots during the month, while other notable passerines during June included regular Turtle Dove from at least three different sites, three Raven over Castle Water on the 4th, and large numbers of Swift early on, with 500 at Castle Water on the 5th. Raptors included regular Marsh Harrier and Hobby and the occasional Peregrine, while a Buzzard over Castle Water on the 5th was a pleasant surprise.
Notable moths attracted to the Lime Kiln trap during June included Pygmy Footman, Rosy Striped Knot-horn, Long-legged Tabby and Ethmia bipunctella, while some unusual species were Common Lutestring and July Highflyer, both less than annual at Rye Harbour. Other notable insects this month included the rare Brown-banded Carder Bee (below) and the Tree Bumblebee, this latter a relatively recent colonist to Britain, and, something of a surprise, two individuals of the Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus parallelipipedus), a female on the 21st and a male on the 28th, the first reserve records for this dead-wood breeding species. Plants in flower this month included Bee Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid, Stinking Hawksbeard and Yellow Vetch.
