January 2022 - Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Sightings

Emma Chaplin
, 01 February 2022
January 2022 - Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Sightings
Common Gull JJ624. Image: John Willsher

On 30th January regular visitor John Willsher photographed a ringed Common Gull on the reserve and was able to read the number on the ring. It turns out that this bird, JJ624, was ringed as an adult on 26th June 2018 at Stavanger in southern Norway and seen there again on 15th April 2020, so probably breeds there. Stavanger is a total of 947km away from Rye Harbour Nature Reserve!


      Golden Plover flock


Some excellent wader counts this month included 4000 Golden Plover, 2000 Lapwing on 1st, at least 600 Dunlin and 50 Grey Plover on the Beach Reserve on the 2nd, around 500 Oystercatcher on the Beach Reserve on the 18th,  and 238 Curlew on the new saltmarsh on the 12th, while a flock of 35 Knot was on the Beach Reserve on the 18th. Wader highlight during January was the Spotted Redshank on Harbour Farm on the 12th. Colder weather brought good numbers of waterfowl to the reserve during January, including 741 Wigeon and 270 Shoveler at Castle Water on the 6th and 80 Pochard here on the 24th, while at least 25 Pintail were on the Beach Reserve on the 2nd. In addition, around 1300 Cormorant were seen leaving the Castle Water roost at dawn on the 16th. There were relatively few sightings of Goldeneye this month, with only three records from Harbour Farm and the Long Pit and only one of those involving multiple individuals (two on Long Pit on the 23rd).

      Curlew leaving roost at dawn

Highlights included a male Goosander on Harbour Farm on the 7th and Long Pit on the 13th, regular Spoonbill, the long-staying Black-necked Grebe at Castle Water and a Red-crested Pochard at Castle Water on the 25th and 31st. In addition, the Great Northern Diver was still present on Long Pit up until the 13th. This month also saw the first record of Mediterranean Gull for the year, with a singleton on the Beach Reserve on the 12th, while a 2nd year Caspian Gull was seen at Castle Water on the 7th.  

      Spoonbill

Raptors included regular Buzzard and Marsh Harrier (with at least three at Castle Water on the 13th) Merlin on Harbour Farm on the 1st and the Beach Reserve on the 13th, while a pair of Peregrine were seen regularly around the reserve, including seeing off a pair of Raven on the 20th! The only owl sighting this month was a Barn Owl which was present on Harbour Farm on the 13th. Passerine highlight this month was a Lapland Bunting seen briefly on the Beach Reserve on 25th. Apart from that there was little in the way of passerine sightings during January, with regular Chiffchaff and a flock of 56 Pied Wagtail at Castle Water the only other records of note.

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Comments

  • John Malcolm Forsythe:

    I am fascinated at your precision in terms of counts. However 741 wigeon makes me wonder whether when you get above say 50 you should use the expressions “around” or “in the region of” as you have with Dunlin and Oystercatcher this month. I just cannot believe you have the time, patience or, dare I say it, confidence to say 741. Great month thanks. There seemed to be a lot of variety out at sea again.

    ANSWER FROM DR BARRY YATES, REVERVE MANAGER: When carrying out the monthly national Wetland Bird Survey (known as WeBS ) we split the reserve up into sections and count each, then add them up. For the Wigeon it may have been that in one section there was an estimated 700 and in another 34 and in another 7. We appreciate that the 700 is an estimate, and experienced counters will be more accurate than novices, but we would still add the 3 numbers up and submit these totals to the Sussex Ornithological Society and the British Trust for Ornithology – here they will be added to other counts and estimates to get county and national monthly totals for each species.

    01 Feb 2022 15:28:00

  • Howard Cox:

    Regularly walk at Rye Harbour and take 600mm pics and supply to James

    02 Feb 2022 10:58:00

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