Guide in a Hide is part of the Discover Rye Harbour project, supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund through Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT).

The Guide in a Hide activity involves a team of volunteers, made up mainly of Friends members, sharing telescopes and binoculars with visitors, to give really close up views of the birds on the reserve, and explain a little about their behaviour and migration routes.

Saturday 22nd July saw a group of 10 Rye Harbour Nature Reserve volunteers run another successful Guide in a Hide between 10am and 3.30pm. 

This time we engaged with at least 171 adults and 50 children. With the assistance of our binoculars and telescopes, we were able to show visitors a wide range of birds found outside the Discovery Centre and the Gooder’s Hide.

In total 27 species of bird were seen during the day.

At one point people were queuing up to see a nearby curlew outside the Discovery Centre and a harassed oystercatcher, with a hungry youngster in tow all day, provided non-stop viewing in the hide.

A fly-by peregrine and avocets feeding by swinging their bill side to side provided interest to many.