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…
Starting early in the month we had a pair of Egyptian Geese who successfully hatched 7 goslings and they’ve done an incredible job as there are still 7 goslings going strong. We also started the month with regular sightings of the Marsh Harrier that was often seen flying over the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust meadow at the front of the Lapwing hide, but they tailed off quite quickly and there haven’t been any reports of it in the latter part of the month. Possibly it has found a mate somewhere else and has stayed around that area. There were also two Greenshanks that popped in for a day or two going between the Gadwall and Draper hides, just to keep everyone on their toes and walking between the two (a great way to get the daily steps in). There were a couple of Common Tern sightings in the first half of the year which was exciting as we haven’t had the numbers that we are used to this year, so every sighting is very welcome.
August has also been a good month for raptors, with all the regulars popping in at some point. We’ve had sightings of Hobby’s, although these have tailed off a lot since June/July as they are migrating and thus don’t stop for long, you could call us the motorway services for Hobby’s. We’ve also had many sightings of Buzzards, as you’d expect, Red Kites, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks, and a couple of Peregrine sightings as well as the aforementioned Marsh Harrier. Unfortunately, we’ve had no Barn owls on site but on our second Big Wild Sleepout and the Big Wild Pyjama Party we heard Tawny owls which aren’t a regular for the reserve.
We’ve also had a few waders pop in for a rest on the reserve (as they haven’t stayed much longer than a day or two) with the Greenshanks showing up again later in the month and a Black Tailed Godwit checking in too. We’ve also seen a return and steadying of Green Sandpiper numbers with their numbers ranging from 1 to 12 at once from the Draper hide, but it seems to have steadied now at around 3 or 4. We’ve also seen Snipe return and hang around for a week or so at the Draper hide, although they were doing their best disappearing act and were reappearing every couple of days or so. Along with the waders we’ve also seen a lot of waterfowl on the reserve with Red Crested Pochard staying with us after being successful with raising their chicks. A couple of Garganey have been with us now for most of August, although they are in eclipse so it takes a little longer to spot them. We’ve also seen a lot of Teal spending some time at the Draper hide over August just to make finding the Garganey a little more of a challenge. A Great Crested Grebe was also seen from the Tern hide which used to be a regular sighting but seems to have moved elsewhere so it’s nice to see them back (even if it was for just a day).
A real popular treat for our visitors (other than the new sweet treats at the Café lite) was a Great White Egret that hung around the reserve for quite a while. Quite often seen at the Draper hide, but also following the Greenshanks example of going between the Draper and Gadwall (quite often when the staff tried to go out and get a picture of it). We were also lucky enough to be visited very briefly by a Whinchat and was out in the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust meadow in front of the Lapwing hide. However, it was so far in the distance that a scope was needed to see it and the heat haze made it quite difficult to see, but still a very nice visitor to pop by.
We’re sure by now you’re wondering ‘but who is the fan favourite that has returned?’ Or maybe you’re thinking ‘I already know who the fan favourite that has returned is’, but we won’t keep you in suspense any further. Drum roll please… The Kingfisher appears to have made a return to the reserve, which is very exciting! There were a few sightings earlier in August of a Kingfisher at the Draper and Gadwall hides but it was very sporadic and not very often. Then as the month went on, sightings were increasing and they are now being seen almost every day. There has been some debate on whether it’s a juvenile or male (or possibly both), but the very fact that they are at the reserve so often is a very good sign for next years breeding season. The sightings are still quite sporadic and by no means guaranteed but being seen daily over the last 2 weeks is very positive. Keep an eye on our social media and this blog for any updates regarding them.
Other species
Now to move away from the birds a little bit, we have also had a variety of other species that have been seen on the reserve over the month. Starting with a real exciting find if you like moths, a Clancy’s Rustic was found in a moth trap a couple of weeks ago. This is exciting for the reserve because it’s the first time it’s been recorded here, having only been recorded in Hertfordshire a handful of times and was unknown in Britain until 2002. Keeping on the theme of moths, we also found a Garden Tiger moth in a moth trap that we put out during one of our Big Wild Sleepouts which was only the second that has been recorded on the reserve twice in the last 15 years! We also had a reported sighting of a Wasp spider on the walk to the Warbler hide, which is exciting as we haven’t had them on the reserve for a couple of years now. It was only seen once though so we aren’t sure if it has been predated or just packed it’s web and left, so if you find yourself walking towards the Warbler hide keep an eye out for it and let us know if you see it.
With the summer holidays comes everyone’s favourite pastime, pond dipping, and this year is no exception. With the pond dipping there has been a significant amount of Newts being found which shows that they are thriving in our centre pond with the record being 40 Newts found during the first Big Wild Sleepout. Staying in the water, we have also had an increase in sighting of Water Voles again. They were very frequently being seen at the Draper dipping pond during April and May but then sightings decreased quite a lot. There has, however, been a view sightings of them all around the reserve with the Draper hide and Gadwall hide being the most popular for them.
Heading on to dry land now, we had a couple of Grass Snakes that seemed to enjoy basking in the sun on a log near the beginning of the seasonal trail. This gave visitors a really good opportunity to see one of the 3 species of snake in the UK (the other two being Smooth snake and Adder) and lots of photos were taken of them. There were also a couple of sightings of Weasels on the reserve, which is nice to hear as they aren’t seen very often.
This is just a very quick list of the highlights on the reserve and your highlight lists may well be very different to ours, but there is so much to see at Rye Meads you should make sure you stop by. We’re easily accessible by train, bus and bike and our very friendly volunteers are always on hand to let you know what has been seen on the reserve recently.
We look forward to seeing you on the reserve.
The Rye Meads team.