Hello All

Just a quick round up of some recent happenings.

The numbers of green sandpipers on the Draper are increasing with 9 on 12 July.  As the vegetation is getting quite tall and blocking the view in this area the work party is out there today cutting one of the islands (which has been thoroughly checked for nests before hand)  to offer better habitat for passage waders, as well as better viewing for all visitors…

Hi All

Three more kingfisher chicks were seen fledging the burrow yesterday.

So a total of 5 chicks fledged for the second brood and brood 3 is well under way.

thanks

vicky

Hello All

Just a quick update as our second brood of kingfishers have been seen fledging today! Two young have been seen emerging from the far right hole in the middle row.  Kingfishers normally have 6-7 young per brood so we expect more to fledge tomorrow.  

In other news. When i popped in the gadwall hide today the male black-necked grebe and one chick were part way down the left bank having a snooze while the female…

Hello All

Sorry for the lack of update in the last week, but it has been all go here. So i hope you have been able to come by and have a look.

The black-necked grebes are still showing well, with visitors this morning lucky enough to have them emerge from behind the island and move along right in front of the hide with both chicks securely on the adults back.  Unfortunately one of the chicks has disappeared in the last…

Good morning all

Just a bit of a warning that Rye Road is going to be closed 2 - 4 July 2014, 8 am - 6 pm. So if you are visiting the reserve during this time access will be via the other end (Stanstead Abbotts) of Rye Road through the toll rather than the Hoddesdon end. We are waiting to hear if the toll fees will be lifted during the road closure.

If you have any questions about access during this time please contact…

Hello All

I hope you have been able to come over and have a look at these spectacular grebes in the last few days.

They have now abandoned the nest site but have not gone too far. After the third egg hatched this morning they spent a lot of time behind the island! Not the most helpful thing to do, but they were occasionally appearing around the right side of the island.  As the day progressed they moved away from the…

Morning everyone,

What a lovely day!

So a bit of a change on the Gadwall hide this morning, it looks like our Black-necked grebe family have moved house! The night shift ended last night with no sign of a hatched third chick, but at first light this morning we assume the chick had emerged as the whole group had moved on.

We now can't see the nest as they have relocated to the back of the island but we are still getting…

Hi all

Thought you might appreciate a little update on our black-necked grebe pair, and for those that haven't managed to make it down yet, a little picture.

We had good news today that the second of the eggs had hatched and we now have two chicks doing well and being carried round the lagoon on the back of mum and dad. We are just awaiting the hatching of the last egg which should be in the next day. Staff and…

Hello All

Well we have some great news!! A pair of Black-necked grebe has bred successfully at Rye Meads.

The pair arrived on site on Monday 26 May and were soon getting down to constructing a nest very close to the Gadwall hide. As the birds are Schedule 1 and susceptible to egg collectors we had to put some measures in place to protect these beautiful birds.  So we made the decision to close the Gadwall Hide and mounted…

Hello All

Just a brief update today.

Well there has been plenty of activity at the kingfisher bank this morning. Not only have the adults been taking fish in to the young but they have also been going in and out of another hole! Are they getting ready for a third brood already? Looks possible, especially as the hole they have been investigating is the one used for the first brood, and it is common behavior for the adults…

Hello all

3 fish have been see going in to the bank this morning so we defiantly have chicks, hurrah.

thanks

vicky

Hello All

Ohhh, things are looking good from the kingfisher bank.  Initial signs look like our second brood have hatched, we will keep an eye out for a fish going in to confirm, but all signs look positive. So if you are visiting today or tomorrow keep us posted on what activity you see at the bank.

thanks

vicky

Hello All

Well it's certainly been a changeable week weather wise, leaving us never sure what to expect. Arriving at the reserve this morning to blue sky, sunshine and a singing sky lark was certainly not what i expected.

Still the weather has not deterred the wildlife at Rye Mead's much, except for maybe the butterflies and dragonflies who have been putting in occasional sightings.  I had my first banded de…

Hello All

Although today has been dreary and wet or actually because of it we have been rewarded with some amazing swift action.  

Although swifts (Apus apus) do not breed at Rye Meads (despite my optimistically putting up some swift boxes on the visitor center a couple of years ago) they do breed in some of the houses of the nearby town of Hoddesdon. So we often have good numbers about, although on sunny days they mostly…

Hello All

We always enjoy looking at the photos that you take at Rye Meads.

Recently i have been emailed some shots from the reserve and i thought i would share them with you.

Trevor took these garden warbler pictures on 17 May near the lagoon hides. Often a hard subject to get a clear view of as they do enjoy dense scrub, this bird has obligingly chosen a relatively clear spot and can be seen singing with some blue…

Hello All

Despite the wind picking up today there has still been plenty of sun and the wildlife has been making the most of it.

Roger this afternoons reception volunteer popped in the Draper hide and it was a hive of activity.  What looked to be 2 juvenile herons were chasing each other around the Draper area while common terns, pied wagtails and lapwings were mating. Not to mention all the other activity from 3 little…

Hello All

Another chill night so numbers in the moth trap were once again low but it is qaulity not quantity that matters.  I had 2 species today 1 micro and 1 macro, that are unusual in our trap if not new for the reserve, so i will have to check that out. The macro moth was pale tussock which has very hairy front legs and the micro pseudargyrotoza conwagana which has metalic glints under a lens. I am afraid our reserve…

Hello All

Today we had 4 young kingfishers sitting well hidden in some bushes near to the bank. Weather theses were 2 from yesterday and 2 more today or all four fledged today and yesterdays had move off from the immediate environs i am afraid we may never now.  But by this afternoon we were sure there were no longer any more young in the bank.

We should now have a few quite days, activity wise, at the nesting bank while…

Hello All

 Our first brood of kingfishers is fledging, yey!

At least 2 young have been seen emerging from the nest so far, lovely to see

thanks

vicky

Hello All

It's fledging day for our first brood of kingfishers, however they weren't very keen maybe beacause of all this wind and rain. So we will keep an eye out tomorrow as well, but may have more luck as the weather improves. The young will fledge in the morning but it is very varied as to weather they hang around the bank or not, if they do it will only be for the max of the fledging day but is more likely…

Good morning

Well we had a beautiful walk this morning. I know 4.30 sounds early and it is, but it was well worth the early rise. Unfortuantly i did not bring a camera out with me so i can not share any pictures with you.

As the sun started to rise we looked out over the draper scrape towards the rising sun with mist lifting off the water and silhouettes of birds moving around on the scrape,  very atmospheric.  We were…

Hello All

Despite it being a bit of a grey and chilly day there has still been plenty of happenings on site.

The kingfishers continue to give good shows and are still investigation the favoured burrow, there was even a bit of mating going on! So as the first brood is not due to fledge until 13 May it looks like we may get a bit of an over lap as the second clutch is laid.  Which will keep them busy! We even managed to…

Hi All

Just a brief update

Some more goodies around today included a Common Sandpiper that has been in and out of view on the Draper today, along with a brief stop by a Yellow Wagtail before hoping over to the meadow. I also counted 5 Comon Tern so numbers are increasing if slowly.

I have been a bit lax in running a moth trap over the last 6 months but after spotting a Brimstone moth sitting on the visitor centre ye…

Hello All

I managed to get out on the reserve yesterday to carry out a count and see what goodies the spring migration has bought in and i was not disappointed. Which was good especially as i had missed the 2 Common Crane that stopped off in the meadow for an hour over the weekend and took off over the car park! A great tick for the reserve.

Any way back to yesterday, i spent just over an hour in the Drpaer hide and…