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.

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.

 

Little Terns

Yesterday 17th June, I was sitting in Hanson Hide at RSPB Dungeness, trying to find the nesting Avocets, Common Terns, Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers, Black-headed Gulls and Lapwing at ARC. Amongst the cacophony of Common Tern sound I picked up the call of Little Tern and saw two that had landed on one of the islands with a covering of stones they immediately started to behave as if they were looking for a suitable nesting location and started to wander the island and on several occasions started to form a nest scrape. Even when they were chased off by a Common Tern they appeared to be reluctant to leave and returned to the island only to the be chased off by a Little Gull. This time they departed towards Burrowes Pit and it seemed didn't reappear and have not bee seen since.

Whilst a brief visit, this is the first time that attempted breeding by Little Tern has been recorded on the peninsula since 1976 when a pair were hanging on at the Point. 

A pair of Little Terns at ARC

Elsewhere on the RSPB Reserve at Dengemarsh both Oystercatcher and Common Terns have chicks.

Common Tern with three chicks

Oystercatcher and chick

Spring Starts - sort of

Signs of spring continue to emerge across the peninsula with Oystercatcher, Teal, Shoveler, Goldeneye and Tufted ducks pairing up, Ringed Plovers and Marsh Harriers displaying, Bitterns booming and our first Sand Martin recorded by Kevin Ellse on the 12th March who also found a female Long-tailed Duck on Lade south on the 13th. White wagtails have started to appear at the Point, Springfield Bridge and New Romney Sewage Works. A Spoonbill at Dengemarsh on the 13th and female White-tailed Eagle G542 from the Isle of White re-introduction appeared over the reserve again, she really likes it here. Offshore, sea watching remains tough with low numbers of migrating birds in the predominantly northerly winds. Two Goosander on the 12th along with flocks of Dark-bellied Brent goose totalling 715 east are highlights. At least two Water Pipits continue to be hard to see commuting between the Flood Field and Hayfields. 18 Black-tailed Godwits briefly visited Dengemarsh on the 11th with five in-off at the Point. A female Black Redstart continues to show well at the Power Station wall. 

Oystercatcher Pair on the reserve

Black-tailed Godwits migrating past the Point

Female Black Redstart

Female Long-tailed Duck with male Goldeneye

Female Long-tailed Duck

Male White Wagtail

Male White Wagtail

Damp Female? White Wagtail after a heavy sleet shower

Dark-bellied Brent Goose moving east at the Point

Two Black-tailed Godwits on Hayfield 1

Brown Hare on the reserve