Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a great Christmas!
Don't forget your garden friends this Christmas - they will be hungry too!
What's been about in December at Rye Meads? Well...
Draper HideMallard, gadwall, crow, magpie, coot, moorhen, water rail, snipe, green sandpiper, oystercatcher (9/12), sparrowhawk, fox (12/12), bearded tit (7/12), long-eared owl (4/12), bearded tit and long eared owl (4/12) (see picture).
Ashby hideWater rail (there's a picture to the left), bittern ( on 11/12 and 18/12. On Saturday 18th a couple had amazing views of the bittern sitting on the ice in the ditch that can be seen on the bridge that you cross to get to the hide - make sure to keep your eyes open all over the reserve not just from the hides).
Tern HideLapwing, oystercatcher, snipe, black headed gull, common gull, coot, moorhen, mallard, gadwall, pochard, tufted duck, shoveler, shelduck, grey heron, great spotted woodpecker, wren, and dunlin (4/12) (see the picture).
Gadwall HideShoveler, tufted duck, gadwall, mallard, coot, moorhen, grey heron, black headed gull, water rail, bittern (it was first seen on 3/12 and has been seen since then. We even saw two on 5/12) and bearded tit (a fabulous male was seen on 23/12 - have a look at this picture).
Kingfisher HideBittern (12/12) and yellowhammer (7/12).
TrailsReedbunting, goldfinch, chaffinch, green finch, bullfinch, blue tit, great tit, robin, blackbird, wren, redwing, waxwing (12/12) (have a look at the picture - aren't they fabulous), green woodpecker, lapwing, woodcock, snipe, little grebe, tufted duck, shoveler, pochard, mallard, gadwall, grey heron, jay, magpie, crow, blackheaded gull, sparrowhawk, kestrel, and water vole.
CentreBuzzard (look at this lovely picture of a buzzard flying), harris hawk (9/12), sparrowhawk, kestrel, reedbunting, goldfinch, chaffinch, green finch, blue tit, great tit, robin, blackbird, wren, dunnock, redwing, pheasant, and great spotted woodpecker.
Merry Christmas everyone!