Rye Meads

The early days of March brought us the first warm, sunny days we’d had in what felt like a lifetime and with it, we saw some Spring migrants returning as well as a few exciting additions.

The month started with an exciting bang (or should we say hoot?) when a Barn Owl was spotted hunting in the Lapwing meadow. In the past we’ve had sightings of them but it’s only ever been one and then they disappear, with the…

We have been notified by National Grid that there have been some changes to dates provided for the work on the pylon in our car park.  Its good news for us as they have included the preparation in the dates for the main works, so our window of restricted parking is reduced significantly. 

Therefore, we are looking at setup and works starting 2/5/2025 not 28/4/2025.  There may still be some work beyond 29/5/2025 for clearance…

I applied for a work experience placement at Rye Meads Reserve due to my passion for conservation and bird photography and I was sure that a placement with the RSPB would give me the insight I wanted into working within a conservation organisation and that it would give me a chance to work on my photography skills by taking photos for the RSPB.  

On Monday I was given a tour of the site and an overview of what I would…

What’s happening?

National Grid are undertaking works on the pylon in our car park. This work includes replacing the conductors (lines themselves) as well as the insulators, and maintenance on the pylon structure itself, so major works.  This work is part of North London Reinforcement (NLR) project | National Grid ET  (and you can find more information by following the link). The same works are also being undertaken…

I decided to complete my work experience at RSPB Rye Meads Nature Reserve as I have an interest in Ecology, water management, and conservation. I knew that Rye Meads had multiple large bodies of water that were all home to many species of wildlife, including many rare birds as well as other mammals. This drew me in as I wanted to gain a deeper insight on wildlife conservation and habitat management. 

Monday was my first…

Not to break with tradition, let’s talk about February’s weather. To put it in a sentence it would probably be along the lines of ‘a bit dull and grey and a bit chilly’. That is, until we got to the end of the month when the sun started to shine and Spring was beginning to show it’s face in the form of Snowdrops and Daffodils.

Daffodils in the Wildlife Garden

Snowdrops under the Hawthorn…

Birds. I love them. That is partially the reason I applied for work experience at Rye Meads. You see, my school’s work experience slot was coming up, but I had absolutely no clue on what do. Then it hit me, I had been to Rye Meads countless times before and why not find out how the site is run and simultaneously be next to an area of exquisite beauty. So, I sent an email to the site and after a couple of months of forms…

The days are drawing out and the first signs of spring are starting to show, and with spring comes a new, hopefully more successful, Kingfisher season.  

 2024 was most definitely not the year of the Kingfisher at RSPB Rye Meads. There was very little activity from them at the end of February into the beginning of March, so we were beginning to think we wouldn’t see them at all. Then, out of nowhere, we had a pair turn up…

So we’ve made it through January which was really up and down in terms of the weather. We had -10^oC days and days that were well into the teens. You could almost guarantee that whatever clothes you put on in the morning would be wrong for the afternoon, but enough about the weather, you’ve come here to read about the sightings of January.

January was definitely the month of the Water Rail as it was showing…

I decided to apply for a work experience placement at Rye Meads Nature Reserve after coming across a Geography course at Kings College London that sparked my interest, which I wanted to get a relevant work placement for. I knew that working with the RSPB would give me valuable insight into an environmental career and provide me with a substantial opportunity to explore my passion for nature further. 

On Monday, I wasn…

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope you all had a nice festive season and managed to get some time to relax and reflect on 2024. As we reflect on 2024 we can’t help but think of the large hole that was left by the absence of the Kingfishers. It looked good at the end of March as there was a couple mating and checking out the nest bank at the Draper hide but by April they had disappeared, either predated or found a more…

November was definitely the month of the Starling murmuration. If you follow us on social media, you will have seen that we got quite excited over them with as many as 7,000 (estimated) thought to have joined the party. It started towards the end of October as we saw an increase in Starlings congregating on the pylon in the car park. It very quickly built and you could almost set your watch to them as the first ones arrived…

Firstly, please allow us to apologise for the delay in getting this blog post done and out to you. To make up for it we will be doing October and November within a couple of days of each other to give you plenty to read about what species have been dropping in to Rye Meads.

This month we have seen a lot of Redwings around the reserve, mostly flying over but also having a dig around in the car park mostly. The numbers…

To ensure our longer-term sustainability, the RSPB has been reviewing its operations across the UK so that everything we do aligns to our charitable and strategic aims and delivers the most impact for nature possible, within the resource we have. We focus on what we do best and where we can do this most effectively, with the resources available to us.  

Our most recent challenge has been the global and domestic financial…

If August was the month of the Kingfisher, September is the month shared by 2 species. In the first half of the month it was the Common Sandpiper as there was one seen on the reserve almost every day. The second half belonged to the Snipe that were always showing very well at the Draper hide.

We have been lucky over September to be treated to some ‘mini murmurations’ from some Starlings that often gather on the pylon…

Birds and the long-awaited return

It’s been a while since we’ve given an update on the recent sightings on the reserve, so we felt it was time to share what’s been seen. August has been a very busy month due to the summer holidays bringing in lots of families taking part in the activities and events. We’ve also seen a few species dropping in with a fan favourite making its long-awaited return……

Yesterday was our last ‘Big Wild’ event of the year with our Big Wild Pyjama Party, and we made sure we went out with a metaphorical bang!

Starting at 6.30pm, everyone was present and ready to go promptly, which was great because we had a lot to pack in. We started with a few crafts in the classroom, with drawing being very popular, while we waited for everyone to get here and get prepared. Then after a quick…

Today saw our second Up Close with the Birds of Rye Meads event and we were truly spoilt. We started with a Sedge Warbler and Alan from the Rye Meads Ringing Group talked about the difference between a Sedge and Reed Warbler’s strategy for migration (luckily we also saw a Reed Warbler or two so we could see the difference). The Sedge Warbler takes more of a ‘eat now and get there as soon as possible’ approach to feeding…

Our 9^th August Big Wild Sleepout saw 14 participants join the team for our last Sleepout of the year, and what a way to finish it up!

We started the evening like every other camping trip, battling with tents and poles until they resembled a tent – a home away from home if you will. Once we were all set up and had our ‘homes’ built, we went to the Visitor Centre for a bit of light arts and crafting, drawing was the main…

It looks like the Kingfishers are giving us another interesting year here at Rye Meads!

Last year we had one pair on site based at the Kingfisher Hub, all looked good at the start of the year with a pair around from February. But in coming months we sadly lost two adult females and lastly the adult male, he managed to fledge a single brood between females and was in preparation for a second brood with another new female…

Photo by Matt Wilkinson (http://rspb-images.com)

We're really excited to offer a range of events this Easter Holidays!

Bring the whole family down for our Spring Trail and Pond Dipping information below (don't forget to grab yourself a coffee or an ice cream!)

Take part in pond dipping and discover the creatures lurking in the hidden depths of the waters - from the tiny water flea to the mighty dragonfly nymph…

We are so lucky that two water voles are once again calling the Draper pond their home. If you are patient and quiet you may see one.
Have a look around the pond for the water voles favourite spots, marked by latrines (piles of poo) or feeding sites (piles of nibbled fresh green vegetation), find a good spot and wait. If you are lucky keep your movements slow and noise low, so you don't spook them. The water is so clear…

It’s that time of year again, the Kingfisher breeding season will soon be here!

I can honestly say I can’t remember a breeding season like last year! One for the books. The loss of two females kept things interesting but the loss of the male ended the season for us, very abruptly.

The return of the established pair from 2022 meant activity started very early in February 2023 with the pair investigating the…

Nature is for Everyone!

This year, the Schools on Reserves team at RSPB Rye Meads has had the pleasure of welcoming a class of teenage special needs students, from local school Amwell View. The students spent a few hours over 4 weeks at the nature reserve, learning how to pond dip and how to identify pond animals. In the final week, the group then showed a younger class from the same school how it’s done! It was brilliant…