Rye Harbour - Wednesday Outing

An early start saw Martin, Richard and I arrive very shortly after 06:30 at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve to have a wander and check out the Sandwich Tern colony. Despite the early start it already felt warm as we wandered the track that led around the reserve perimeter. Across Flat Beach and New Saltmarsh, there were good numbers of black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls with juveniles of both species present  along with Oystercatchers and juveniles, displaying Ringed Plovers, Avocets and three Greenshanks. Plenty of tern activity with birds leaving and returning with food including several Little Terns of which we could see what appeared to be three well grown chicks.

From Parkes Hide there were great views and lovely sounds of the seemingly chaotic Sandwich Tern colony which every now and then took a precautionary flight as a predator in the form of a gull or bird of prey loomed overhead.

A great few early morning hours on the reserve.

I just love the grumpy expression on the chick

There were a few waders visible from Parkes Hide, including this close juvenile Redshank.

Adult Common Sandpiper

It's always great to watch the comedy duo that is an adult Oystercatcher with its chick in very close attendance. Watching every move of its parent in anticipation of a food morsel, the disappointment shows when it misses the opportunity and the adult eats what it has caught.

Black-tailed Godwit

A flock of seven Black-tailed Godwits of the Icelandic race were at ARC for most of the day before a  released helium balloon floated across the pit and spooked the duck and godwits leaving the area in front of Hanson hide relatively devoid of birds. I don't understand why people litter the point with these damn balloons that are so dangerous to wildlife, especially marine life. Whenever I venture out in to the desert, i'm always finding the bloody things littering the area and I collect them and dispose of them.

Recently Red-eyed Damselfly has been in front of Hanson hide.

Broods of duck continue to appear on ARC. Tufted with eight ducklings and Gadwall with seven.

The Caspian Tern continues to sleep and rest on Burrowes in between short foraging trips to Dengemarsh. I could hear it calling this evening.

There is the usual late colony of breeding Common Terns establishing on Burrowes. At least 39 Common Terns this evening with potentially 10 sitting birds.

Dunlin

An early-ish morning visit to ARC revealed two Dunlin, one in almost full breeding plumage and the other moulting in to winter plumage!

Dunlin moulting in to winter plumage

The Caspian Tern was unusually still present and preferring to rest on the islands at Burrowes and flying off for short foraging trips before returning to Burrowes.

Caspian Tern

A great find by Gary Johnson of a Caspian Tern on the RSPB reserve at Burrowes saw many of the locals racing to the reserve as so often this species does not hang around for too long before flying off. Needless to say this one stayed around all day, sometimes disappearing for a short while before coming back to Burrowes.

Kentish Plover

A great find by Jacob of a male Kentish Plover at Lade Sands/Greatstone Bay this afternoon. 

Scotney and ARC

In addition to twitching the Kentish Plover, earlier in the day I had cycled to Scotney to hopefully hear Quail that had been singing there over the past couple of days. I stopped at Pigwell as two lumps caught my eye on the ridge of the barn roof. The barn had been recently repaired and it was good to see the lumps turn in to the pair of Little Owls that live in the barn as I was concerned that maybe the work had caused them to leave. As usual one of the two made a hasty exit on seeing me but not before I managed to get a shot of them both.

Little Owls

A Spoonbill had been found by Martin a couple of days ago and had stuck around but as usual it spent most of the time fast asleep on Scotney main pit so it was welcome to actually see it feeding on Scotney West pit. Good numbers of Tree Sparrows were at the back of Scotney and breeding Yellow Wagtails seemed to be doing well around the arable fields.

At ARC returning breeding waders comprised five Redshank (juv and four adults) were new in that day and the female Garganey was at the back of the pit from Hanson hide.

Juvenile and adult Redshank

A trio of Oystercatchers were making a lot of noise with a head down piping display. This was presumably a pair attempting to see off an intruder.

 

Atlantic Odyssey - At sea to Gough Island - 8th April

8th April 2026

We were now scheduled to be at sea until the 12th April heading towards the Tristan Da Cunha island group with our first stop being Gough Island. The heading of the ship was still  being expertly steered to avoid the worst of the weather system that was also tracking in the direction we were headed.

On the morning of the 8th April we were 125 nautical miles north-east from South Georgia and had maintained an average speed of 9.9 knots.

Likely South Georgia Diving Petrel

Blue Petrel

Light-mantled Sooty Albatross

Grey Petrel

Grey-headed Albatross

Wilson's Petrel

If only I'd been side on...

Hourglass Dolphin

Brown Skua (Subantarctic Skua) Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi

Still plenty of icebergs