Our 3rd brood of kingfishers have hatched!!

Today our adult kingfishers were taking fish in to the bank at the kingfisher hide a sure sign of youngsters in the burrow.  The adults do not feed each other while they incubate the eggs they each take turns incubating giving them plenty of time to catch fish for themseleves.  Now the young have hatched both parents will also share in bringing fish to the young for the next 26…

Three greenshank have just landed on the mud at Lagoon 1 joining our existing bird!

Joan

You can buy raffle tickets, £1 each, to win £410 worth of camping gear from Blacks and the RSPB.

You've got until 21 August to get your tickets and you can buy them at Rye Meads.

By buying a ticket you are also helping to give nature a home by supporting the RSPB's work.

See you soon!

The kingfishers have been active today, still sitting on their third clutch of eggs. They should be hatching any day.

On Lagoon 1, two snipe, 1 greenshank, 1 oystercatcher, 2 green sandpipers.

The garganey hasn't been seen today, though it was still around yesterday, same with the marsh harrier.

On Draper, 6 green sandpipers.

Lots of butterflies and dragonflies on the wing in the sunshine.

Joan

Our greenshank is still around on Lagoon 1, and the female marsh harrier is still showing well on the wet meadow in front of the Lapwing Hide. We're hoping that the sun will shine so we can find out if the clouded yellow butterflies are still around!

Joan

Hello

Despite this afternoons change in  the weather  it has been a good day.

As we now have islands and shallow areas from the tern hide i took the oppertunity to put some water on to the draper to wet up the scrape there as the water level has been low all summer and it has got quite dry.  This seemed to have proved popular with the locals and visitors alike as we had a Greenshank joining our local green sandpipers which…

Hello

If you have visited the reserve recently you may have noticed the change in the water levels on the laggon from the tern hide.  At the end of summer we gradually lower the water levels on this lagoon exposing shallow feeding areas and islands for loafing.  We have been slowly lowering the water levels since late July in the hope of attracting some passing migrants.  We were rewarded with a black-tailed godwit from…

Drop in between 10 am and 1 pm for a free event this holiday weekend.

One of our field teachers will be showing you the tiny winged wonders that make their home at Rye Meads - come and spot butterflies and dragonflies, try sweep netting, and make your own butterfly feeder.

There's anothe free event the following Sunday, 25 August, 10 am to 1 pm. Come and try pond dipping. Great event for families.

Banish holiday boredom with the RSPB Rye Meads' Wacky Wildlife Adventure.

Holiday fun for 6-12 year olds.

Still places 14-16 and 19-23 August, 10 am to 4 pm each day.

Come and try a day. Different activities every day. Make new friends.

£17 a day for Wildlife Explorer members, £25 for non members (or join on the day to take advantage of the discounted rate).

Call 01992 708383 or e-mail becky.shenton…

Hello

Another lovely day at Rye Meads. 

When i came in this morning i noticed we had sightings of a garganey  from the tern hide over the weekend a good sign of autumn passage.  So i had a stroll down to see if it was still about and there were 2 wigeon, a little egret and a couple of green sandpipers along with 4 black tailed godwits, mixed in amongst 92 lapwings and plenty of gadwall.   We have an autumn passage event with…

straw underwing

Hurrah finally sorted and i can now blog.  The below was my first attempted post on friday.

Hello.   I have just set myself up on the blog and this is my first post so please bear with me if it all goes horribly wrong.

I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and have been visiting Rye Meads. The warm weather is bringing out lots of butterflies and as i was out and about yesterday with the work party…

We currently have four black-tailed godwits on the reserve in their lovely red summer plumage. They are visible from the Tern Hide. There are also two wigeon, one little egret, 92 lapwings and two green sandpipers on the same lagoon. A garganey was seen over the weekend.

Joan

Big Wild Sleepout

Spend a night in nature’s home...

RSPB Rye Meads nature reserve

Saturday 10^th August, 7.30pm – Sunday 11^th August, 10am

A fantastic opportunity for families to explore the reserve at night time with this special one-off camp out event!

Things to do

• Go on an exciting night walk to discover bats and moths
• Fun night games for the whole family
• Relax by the campfire
• Breakfast included…

The kingfishers have fledged over the weekend. They are now sitting on their third brood of eggs. Woohoo!

Many of you will have seen the launch of the RSPB's campaign to 'Give Nature a Home' in your own gardens, window ledges, parks etc. You may have even caught the new advert on TV! If you'd like to read more about it or how you can help provide safe havens for wildlife- see http://homes.rspb.org.uk/

Here at Rye Meads we are doing our bit not just for birds but for insects, mammals and others too.. and looking…

As well as a wheelchair available for loan on the reserve, we now have an electric mobility scooter available for hire.

Please call 01992 708383 to book.

Joan

The resident pair are currently busy feeding up their second brood ready to fly the nest. Over the weekend they have been showing every half an hour or so so it's a great time for sightings!

Bernie Morgan kindly sent us this picture of the fledglings from the first brood feeding just before they left on 09/06/13, so that you could all have a chance to see the moment! We hope they are all getting on well.

Kingfisher…

We're running a free, drop in event (no need to book!) every Sunday of the summer holidays between 10 am and 1 pm. Come and see how we give nature a home at Rye Meads.

28 July - pond dipping

4 August - minibeast safari

11 August - wild and wonderful birds

18 August - winged wonders

25 August - pond dipping

Come and have a go and learn some skills to take back to your home and garden.

There's a grasshopper warbler 'reeling' at the Warbler Hide today!

These are migrant warblers that have a song that sounds more like a sewing machine than a bird! As it turns its head the call becomes louder or quieter to our ears. They're not particularly common on the reserve so it's always nice to hear one.

Joan 

The kingfishers are feeding their second brood of chicks, as well as excaving a new nest hole for their third brood.

Our female marsh harrier is still on site (view from the Lapwing Hide or the bridge overlooking the meadow on the way to the Draper Hide).

11 green sandpipers yesterday on the Draper Scrape plus lots of young common terns, black-headed gulls and tufted ducklings. Still some terns and gulls on the rafts…

Why not come to the reserve this weekend to see our kingfishers feeding their second brood of young. Fabulous views of these spectacular birds close up.

Joan

Want to volunteer at Rye Meads?

We're looking for help at weekends to do some face-painting for our family visitors.

If you can help, give me a call on 01992 708383.

Thanks!

Joan

We have a Kingfisher VIP morning where 10 lucky people can have exclusive use of the reserve before it's open to the public. A member-only event to say thank you for your support (but you can join on the day). The VIP morning runs 7 am to 10 am and costs £30 per person. We only have a few places left so book quickly by calling 01992 708381.

Afterwards, we have a guided walk around the reserve10 am to 12 noon…

The kingfishers have hatched their second brood of eggs and are busy feeding their youngsters.

A great time to come to Rye Meads to see them, and all the other wildlife that makes its home here.

The weather forecast is great for the weekend - why not come and pay us a visit.

Joan

Only two places remaining for our 6 July WEx club trip - you don't need to be a WEx member to come, and first timers very welcome!

On this date, we're doing something a bit different - we'll be having a special adventure session at Harlow Outdoor. We'll be 'bumbling' which is like orientation in water! Please e-mail RyeMeadsWex@rspb.org.uk for more information or to book your place.