Sunset in Rye Harbour

Yesterday saw a beautiful sunset in Rye Harbour Nature Reserve:

We'd been having a walk around the lakes and the beach, and timed it just right coming back! The lakes look completely different to a couple of months ago. Back then, they looked like this:

Now, the water level is higher and all the gulls are gone, leaving the lakes to ducks, such as these Mallards:

And also some Little Egrets, which were busy fishing:

It's much quieter now, without the gulls and their chicks - but I'm sure they'll be back next Spring!

Mike

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A walk on Beachy Head

Last Friday we went to visit Beachy Head - not sure why it took us so long, we've lived down here for some years now! We drove to the visitor centre and pub (which does a nice lunch) at the top, and walked over to the cliff:

They're not joking about the cliff edge...

Being 500ft above the sea, whilst also being almost at the edge of it, makes for some great views, to Eastbourne and beyond to the east:

To the south, some weird ocean currents (see the diagonal line in the water, from bottom left to centre) and nice shadows of clouds on the sea:

And the well-known lighthouse to the west:

It's a stunning place to visit, shame it has a darker side as a suicide spot. But at least the Chaplaincy Team there is doing a good job.

Going west along the coast from Beachy Head you come to Seven Sisters country park, which is also worth a visit - we walked along the west side of the Cuckmere river:

Before long, the river reaches the sea...

And you're rewarded with a nice shingle beach with a few houses perched on cliff tops:

On the walk between the main road and the sea, we saw more Herons in half an hour than we ever have in one place before!

There was also the bizarre sight of a Heron and several Little Egrets perched in trees, preening themselves! It's strange to see a bird usually found wading in water up a tree...

We walked back along the other side of the trees, and I was able to get a closer shot of one of the Little Egrets:

There were also lots of other birds, including dozens of Swallows - I was pleased to get a photo of one of them, though it took about 20 shots to get this one mediocre picture!

If you've not been, the area is well worth a visit - there's more info here.

Mike

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Avocets, Terns and Gulls at Rye Harbour

Once again the Avocets are the star of the show this week - I captured this video of two pairs of them fighting! Ironically their offspring seem to all be getting along fine, but I'm sure they'll learn from their parents soon enough!

Although the chicks do spend time on their own now, they're never far from their parents, and follow them closely some of the time:

I was fortunate to get a few pictures of one of the adults flying:

They weren't the only birds flying though, I also got this Little Egret (which doesn't look so little when it's in flight!):

and also some Sandwich Terns:

This Cormorant had other ideas, preferring to head downwards... Watch the video to see how long it dives underwater for! I now understand why they spend time sat around with their wings spread out to dry!

The Common Terns now have their chicks hatched:

I think the Sandwich Terns do too, but the shrubs on their island have grown up so much I can't see them any more! The Black Headed Gull offspring are now heading into the juvenile stage:

But this doesn't stop them annoying their parents by begging for food!

Some of them have hatched much later though, and are still tiny:

You can see the difference between them and their peers that are just a few weeks older here:

The adults meanwhile are continuing to model ideal gull behaviour for their offspring...

Finally, I got my first picture of a Linnet at Rye Harbour, though it's not as sharp as I would like...

and I also saw a Sparrow, with its beak stuffed full of food! :-)

Anyway that's all for now. I've been busy up at the woods too, fixing tracks now they've dried out, and processing seasoned wood into logs ready for winter. Doesn't make for exciting photos though!

Mike

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Latest bird news from Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

This week's highlight is a Black Headed Gull regurgitating food for its chicks! (Including a slow-motion bit when another gull tries to steal the food)

There's a strange mix of Black Headed Gulls across the different islands in the reserve. Some have no chicks yet:

Others have chicks 1-2 weeks old:

While this floating enclosure has much older chicks in it:

My theory is that the best nest sites, which are furthest away from the banks and hides, get taken first, so they have the older chicks. No idea if that's what really happens though! This is my favourite gull picture of the day anyway:

We saw quite a few other different birds this time, such as Cormorants:

A tufted duck (right at the limit of the zoom range of my lens):

A Redshank, I think (also some distance off):

A Little Egret fishing in one of the tidal streams that flow in and our of the lagoons:

And also several Avocets. In these two photos there are Avocet chicks, but in the second one it's hard to spot at first!

I like these ones of an Avocet trawling for food...

And finally, a token non-bird photo - a Common Blue butterfly, at the inland side of the reserve:

More to come after our next visit...

Mike

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