The start of a new calendar year is always a busy time for us here at Rye Meads, with the slate wiped clean and our annual sightings log reset to zero! But the year has started brilliantly with some major highlights for us, as early as New Year's Day.
We're also recruiting volunteers to a variety of roles at the reserve, so if you have any time to spare, however small, do check out volunteer.rspb.org.uk to find a role to suit you, from hosting at our Kingfisher Hub to supporting school visits and holiday events, to our habitat management work party.
It's been another interesting month weather-wise, with a period of freezing temperatures and icy waters leading to plenty of ups and downs in numbers. Water levels at the Draper lagoon remain high for now, to ensure the protection of suitable marginal edges for waders later in the year, and a deeper feeding ground for waterfowl. After some maintenance, the water at the Gadwall lagoon has been lowered with some visible islands and a good variety of species on show as a result. Regular visitors may also have noticed a significant amount of brush cutting and scrub clearance in recent weeks, with winter works prioritising the best possible habitat for our protected breeding and loafing waterfowl (as well as general tidiness!). Despite some interesting weather, there has been a real diversity of sightings, as our 2023 Checklist in the Visitor Centre showed
January Bird Species: 71
Bird species with photo evidence: 52 (Via tagging us on Twitter, or in the Friends of RSPB Rye Meads [new] Facebook group)
Bird species on 1st January: 50
Other Identified Fauna: 5
Bearded Tits
Back in October, we had our first sightings of Bearded Tits all around the reserve, from the HMWT meadow to the Ashby reedbed and everywhere in between! At the end of the month, two were caught and ringed by the Rye Meads Ringing Group, with the group seeing approximately ten in the meadow area at the same time as visitors photographing some on the opposite side of the reserve, leading to estimates of 14-16 in the Rye Meads area at that peak. Occasional sightings followed in November and December, but they were seen with more regularity in January, particularly in the reedbed opposite the Tern/Gadwall ramp where 3 males and 3 females were frequently seen. There may have been up to ten in that area at one point, with six the definite regular tally. Fingers crossed they stick around!
Bearded Tit - Female
Steve Knox
Bearded Tit - Male
Ruth Watson
Paul Tatman
Mark O'Dell
Graham Charlton
Everton Murray
Jono Forgham
Dave Newbold
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Similar to the Bearded Tits, we had Lesser Spotted Woodpecker sightings as far back as October but it had gone pretty quiet. They can cover quite a large territory so may not be sticking to Rye Meads! We have had several sightings in January though in various parts around the reserve. Unfortunately it does appear to only have one leg but seems to be coping pretty well (and is therefore a bit more identifiable if it's seen elsewhere in the area). We've had 8 days of sightings across January (and a flyover on 1st Feb), all in different locations between the Visitor Centre and the Kingfisher Hub. It's also been seen on the other side of the River Lee, and across the road on the Thames Water site.
Gill Price
Taylor Harkness
Kathy Sharman
John Lawrence
Mark Vale
Barn Owl
Just after Christmas, two lucky visitors were in the right place at the right time, as a Barn Owl popped its head out of one of the nest boxes to the right of the Draper scrape. We had one daylight sighting in January, with a Barn Owl flying over the meadow at around 2pm, but in the middle of the month we had about a week where a barn owl would hunt around the meadow between 4.30-5pm (just in time for us to close!). It's been in both nestboxes next to the Lapwing Hide, with some great views of it emerging and flying for a few lucky visitors stood on the first bridge on the reserve looking back at the meadow. With the days getting slightly longer its less likely to be seen during our opening hours but with the help of the Ringing Group we'll do our best to keep an eye on it if anyone is here late! There's a possibility there might be two - like the Bearded Tits we have everything crossed for breeding!
Emerging over the meadow - Vicky Buckel
Graham Charlton (taken at 4.59pm!)
Ducks
Despite the water levels increasing for the winter, the cold temperatures have meant frozen lagoons a few times! Although overall numbers have sometimes been low, we have still seen most of our usual winter wildfowl visitors, with January a great time to see them in their best plumage. Gadwall haven't arrived in their hundreds like we might expect, and it's actually been Shoveler that are in higher quantities. Tufted Duck and Teal are around too as well as a handful of Pochard and the usual Mallard. Bodes well for our 'Duck Detectives' trail in February Half Term!
Male Gadwall - Allan Burrows
Female Gadwall - Alan Burrows
Gadwall pair - Christine Henry
An entertaining Mallard pair! - Steve Gibbs
Male Mallard - Paul T Smith
Female Mallard (promise it has a second leg) - Jono Forgham
Male (very)Tufted Duck - Mark O'Dell
Female Tufted Duck - Steve Dimbleby
Female Tufted Duck - Christine Henry
Pochard Pair - David Everett
Male Pochard - Steve Dimbleby
Female Pochard - Mark O'Dell
A small group of Teal - Steve Coppen
Teal pair - Paul T Smith
Male Teal - Robert Kitchen
Male Shoveler - Andre Griggs
Male Shovelers shovelling
Female Shoveler shovelling - Steve Dimbleby
Swans, Geese and Shelduck
As normal, several Mute Swans call the reserve home, but one particular immature swan has caught the eye with photos. Canada Geese are ever-present but we also had a couple of Egyptian Geese briefly land too. There has also been a Shelduck braving all weathers, and its been joined by another two as things got slightly warmer towards the end of the month.
Immature Mute Swan - Jan Martin
Immature Mute Swan - Paul T Smith
Egyptian Geese - Andre Griggs
Shelduck pair - Andre Griggs
Shelduck - Andre Griggs
Shelduck - Jan Martin
Shelduck - Steve Dimbleby
Cormorants, Egrets and Herons
It took a week until we saw our first Little Egret of the year but they have been regular since. Grey Herons and Cormorants are always a good photo opportunity, often seen on a branch at Lagoon 3, viewable from the Ashby Ramp, but I particularly liked the shot below of a Cormorant on a pylon!
Cormorant on a pylon - Colin Meager
The favoured Cormorant perch - Graham Charlton
Cormorant in a tree - Paul T Smith
Grey Heron - David Everett
Grey Heron - Robert Kitchen
Tench-fishing Grey Heron - 'Seb Birds'
Little Egret (and Mallards) - Jan Martin
LIttle Egret - Paul T Smith
Grebes and Rails
No Great Crested Grebe this month but a handful of Little Grebes around. Water Rails aren't as showy as they were in the December frost but still plenty of opportunities to spot them after the cutting works on the reedbed created some good viewpoints. Plenty of Moorhen and Coot as usual, with the behaviour of the Coot often interesting in the frost! A few good photos showing a key difference between Coots and ducks with their 'finger-like' toes and lack of webbed feet!
Little Grebe - Sean Gillespie
Moorhen - Steve Gibbs
Water Rail - Andre Griggs
Coot (Eating) - Paul T Smith
Coot (Fighting) - Andre Griggs
Coot (Freezing) - Colin Meager
Coot (Perching) - David Lee
Coot (Posing) - Paul T Smith
Coot (Skating) - Steve Dimbleby
Gulls
We're always choc-a-bloc with Black-Headed Gulls (with a white head at this time of year). In among those but not pictured have been Common and Herring Gulls too. We also had a first winter Lesser Black Backed Gull (the last picture in this block) which led to a bit of an ID challenge. Best distinguished from a first winter Herring Gull by the wings - smudgy brown rather than a definitive pattern of brown and white triangles.
Black-Headed Gull - David Coote
Black-Headed Gulls - Paul T Smith
Black-Headed Gull - Sue Holte-Smith
1st Winter Lesser Black Backed Gull - Rose Newbold
Waders
High water levels at the start of the month meant less space for waders but it's all done to ensure perfect habitat later in the year. There have been a few sightings of Snipe and the odd Green Sandpiper, one of which was ringed here a few years ago so it's nice to see it still around! It's been the Lapwing that are the spectacle though. Once the weather settled and the lagoons unfroze, the handful of Lapwing became hundreds, with some amazing flight displays captured and the sound of them 'pee-witting' carrying across the reserve.
Common Snipe among Lapwing - Andre Griggs
Green Sandpiper - Pete Duxon
Green Sandpiper feeding - Steve Dimbleby
Green Sandpiper - Rose Newbold
Lapwing in flight - Helen Dewar
Lapwing in flight - Paul T Smith
Lapwing - Rose Newbold
Lapwing - Steve Gibbs
Kingfishers
It's very rare we'd go a month without a Kingfisher sighting, and we've had a few this January despite being well outside the breeding season. Sightings have therefore generally been away from the breeding banks, often flyovers near the river or at the Gadwall Hide. Two lucky photographers who caught stationary examples though!
Kingfisher - David Everett
Kingfisher - Sean Gillespie
Birds of Prey
Many of the birds of prey on site are seen in brief flyovers so its always nice to see when someone's managed to get an in-flight photo, or when something has landed! Peregrine and Sparrowhawk are two that have been sighted but not played ball with a camera in January. Fortunately we have Kestrels and Buzzards that have taken to perching on top of nest boxes, making it easier for some! The buzzard that frequents the owl box at Draper has been a feature, particularly when its been mobbed by Carrion Crows after sitting there too long. We've even got a lovely action shot of it doing its... erm... pre-flight routine.
The highlight here for me though is a Marsh Harrier. Being totally honest, we often get Marsh Harriers reported, with investigation revealing its actually a Buzzard - there's a particularly long-legged Buzzard around that is confusing some. Thankfully, we've got concrete evidence this month courtesy of Andre Griggs who captured it in flight.
Marsh Harrier - Andre Griggs
Buzzard on the owl box - Mark O'Dell
Pre-flight ablutions... - Sue Holte-Smith
Buzzard in flight - Steve Gibbs
Buzzard mobbed by Crow - Everton Murray
Kestrel - Steve Gibbs
Red Kite - Steve Gibbs
Corvids and Starlings
Having ticked off the Crow above, there's a few in the rest of the family too. On one day, there was a far away Raven sat on a pylon, but too far for a meaningful photo! I would be disappointed that no one's photographed a Jackdaw, but we also haven't had any photos of Starlings either - which is mostly my fault as every single day they've been in and out of the nest box just above the Visitor Centre door, and in perfect view of my desk.
Jay - Paul T Smith
Magpie - David Rudeforth
Magpie - Paul T Smith
Many Magpies - Paul T Smith
Finches, Buntings and Sparrows
Greenfinch, Siskin and Yellowhammer do belong in these families and also have been seen but not snapped. Chaffinch and Goldfinch are around, and those of you who are like me and have repeatedly failed to see Bearded Tits, have at least sometimes had a consolation prize of Reed Buntings in the same area. I'll also add Dunnock to this part of the list (in a different family of birds but I'm taking artistic license). House Sparrows haven't drawn the attention of a camera lens - although some sightings have been reported at various parts of the reserve they are actually a quite sporadic sighting for us so please let us know!
Chaffinches - Jan Martin
Goldfinch - Paul T Smith
Reed Bunting pair - Robert Kitchen
Reed Bunting female - Allan Burrows
Reed Bunting male - Paul T Smith
Reed Bunting male - Robert Kitchen
Tits, Crests and Treecreepers
The Bearded Tits are obviously a highlight of the reserve, but it is always nice to see shots of Blue, Great and Long-Tailed around the reserve too. The focus on the reedbeds for the Beardies has led to plenty of other reed-based photos, with Blue Tits also seen hanging from stalks. We have also had some good sightings of Goldcrests, including in the hedges in the car park, as well as occasional Treecreepers, with one great photo below
Treecreeper - John Lawrence
Goldcrest - Graham Charlton
Goldcrest - Steve Dimbleby
Goldcrest - Steve Knox
Great Tit - Paul T Smith
Blue Tit - Allan Burrows
Blue Tit - Rose Newbold
Long-Tailed Tit - Andre Griggs
Long-Tailed Tit - Mark Vale
Long-Tailed Tit - Steven Coppen
Long-Tailed Tit - Paul T Smith
Thrushes and Chats
The reserve has been full of Redwing at times, particularly the Draper area and towards the Turnstile. There's also been the occasional Fieldfare to go along with noisy Song Thrushes and the ubiquitous Blackbirds and Robins
Fieldfare - Andre Griggs
Song Thrush - Ruth Watson
Song Thrush - Rose Newbold
Fieldfare - Mark Vale
Song Thrush - Mark Vale
Redwing - Colin Meager
Redwing - Ruth Watson
Redwing - Steven Coppen
Redwing - Sue Holte-Smith
Blackbird (M) - Allan Burrows
Blackbird (F) - Mark Vale
Blackbird (F) - Steve Dimbleby
Blackbird (F) - Steve Gibbs
Robin - Allan Burrows
Robin - Graham Charlton
Robin - John Lawrence
Robin - Paul T Smith
Robin - Steve Dimbleby
Robin - Steve Gibbs
Warblers
Not many winter warblers at the moment. There were early Blackcap sightings, and a number of Chiffchaff around, and although there are a few about we aren't being deafened by lots of Cetti's Warbler song just yet!
Cetti's Warbler - Christine Henry
Cetti's Warbler - Paul Tatman
Cetti's Warbler - Paul T Smith
Chiffchaff - Paul T Smith
Chiffchaff - Andre Griggs
As well as the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, we have had Great Spotted and Green varieties too. Flyovers from Skylarks and Ring Necked Parakeets have been seen alongside the more common Wrens, Collared and Stock Doves, and of course Pigeons. A pair of Pheasants are knocking around too (we had at least one breeding pair near the Visitor Centre last summer). Plenty of Muntjac, Squirrels and Rabbits, and thumbs up to my favourite person who added Earthworm and Slug to the sightings board, right on my wavelength. The first moth trapping of the year from Vicky and Mel (who's mutterings have stayed on Twitter this month!) brought in a nice example of a Dark Chestnut.
Mrs Pheasant - Jan Martin
Mr Pheasant - Jan Martin
Wren - Paul T Smith
Great Spotted Woodpecker - Andre Griggs
Stock Dove - Allan Burrows
Muntjac - Steve Gibbs
Muntjac - Steve Dimbleby
Muntjac - Allan Burrows
Grey Squirrel - Andre Griggs
Dark Chestnut Moth - Mel Shepherd-Wells
And that is that! Thank you for browsing a bumper January sightings blog. Many thanks to all our visitors for reporting their sightings, and to the photographers in the 'Friends of RSPB Rye Meads (new)' community Facebook group who share all their photos. If you'd like to contribute to these blogs or have any feedback on what you'd like to see, feel free to comment below, or get in touch with us at rye.meads@rspb.org.uk
Matt Bartlett
Visitor Experience Manager - RSPB Rye Meads