Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Wildlife Sightings: May 2025

Laura Ross
, 17 June 2025
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Wildlife Sightings: May 2025
Red-footed Falcon © Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons

Laura Ross

Communications Officer

Throughout May, the trend of warm, largely dry weather continued throughout the month, contributing to spring 2025 being the sunniest and warmest on record since 1884. 

Bittern continued to boom intermittently throughout the month at Castle Water. On 1st, two Greenshank were spotted on Flat Beach and one Wood Sandpiper was reported from Parkes Hide. Over 150-200 Sandwich Tern were feeding on Flat Beach on 2nd May.

A flock of the ‘tundrae’ race of Ringed Plover (11) were on Flat Beach on 4th and have occurred regularly every May since the new saltmarsh habitat was established. They are distinctly smaller than the typical ‘hiaticula’ race, with a shorter wing, more slender bill and legs. The orbital margin is not so well marked making the head less arched, more delicately formed, and with the colour of upper-parts darker than in hiaticula. Carefully examine any flock of this species seen in May!

Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover © Roger Wilmshurst

A rare spring sighting was a Little Stint, our smallest wading bird, seen at Flat Beach on 7th May. A female Red-footed Falcon on 8th May, was another star sighting, spotted stooping a flock of Starling over Barn Field at Castle Water. It was also seen the following day over Rye Harbour village. 

Little Stint
Little Stint © Simon Linington

Four Little Gull were at Salt Pool on 4th and drake Garganey was in front of the Halpin Hide on 11th. Spoonbill are now recorded most months at the nature reserve, and so it was that two  graced the southern end of Castle Water on the 12th. A much rarer visitor, a Temminck's Stint, was seen on 15th from Halpin Hide at Castle Water. This tiny bird is similar to the Little Stint, with greyish-brown plumage, a white belly, pale legs and a short bill; perfect for finding crustaceans and molluscs in the mud.

Temminck's Stint
Temminck's Stint © Roger Wilmshurst

30 Little Tern were on Flat Beach on 16th and a Black-winged Stilt was seen there on 19th. The first Redshank chicks were spotted from the Parkes Hide on 25th  and four Little Ringed Plover and three Cuckoo were at Castle Water on 31st. 

Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged Stilt © Barry Yates

May is a great month to see plants in flower at the nature reserve, with Sea Kale, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Sea Pea, a substantial patch of Yellow Vetch near the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House and Grass Vetchling beginning to flower near Nook Meadows towards the end of the month.

Grass Vetchling
Grass Vetchling © Barry Yates

Warmer weather brought bigger catches in the moth trap, including Pine Beauty, Cream-spot Tiger, Poplar Hawk, Cinnabar, Small Elephant Hawk and Orange Swift.

Small Elephant Hawk-moth
Small Elephant Hawk-moth © Bob Eade

Thanks go to all the visitors whose observations contribute to the monthly sighting reports. If you have spotted something interesting on the reserve, please do make a record viahttps://irecord.org.uk/, and if you think it is particularly significant, please let us know at [email protected].

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