Talks – Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

14 June – The Woman Who Saved Birds

Saturday 14th June 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Presented by Tessa Boase a writer and social historian living in Hastings.

When social historian Tessa Boase told the RSPB she wanted to write their early story, they refused to let her visit their archives. To a former investigative journalist, this was a challenge she could not resist.

This talk brings to life the mighty Victorian and Edwardian plumage trade – and the brave eco-feminists who fought back on behalf of the birds. Their leader was Hythe-born Etta Lemon, the passionate and pioneering conservationist who built the early RSPB, but was not remembered by history. What were her campaign tactics, and what is her legacy?

These talks are for members of The Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve only. There is no charge, though donations are gratefully accepted. If you are not a member of The Friends but would like to attend, please JOIN US and let us know.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st May.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

10 May – Weeds as Medicine

Saturday 10^th May 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Ellie Holly is a qualified and experienced Medical Herbalist. She will start with a brief introduction to herbal medicine, and then go onto talk about a range of common UK weeds which have a long history of use as medicines.

Ellie will cover their medicinal properties and how to use them in herbal teas, topical applications, and cooking. Plants covered would include nettle leaves, dandelions, ribwort plantain, lemon balm, yarrow and hawthorn.

These talks are for members of The Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve only. There is no charge, though donations are gratefully accepted. If you are not a member of The Friends but would like to attend, please JOIN US and let us know.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1^st April.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

12 April – The Royal military canal and its…

Saturday 12^th April 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Presented by Michael Steed.

Michael read history and land economy at Cambridge and has developed an interest in the The Royal Military Canal, it’s history and importance. This talk is an in-depth and interactive look at this important part of our local history and landscape.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1^st March.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

08 March – Barn Owls and Barn Owls in…

Saturday 8^th March 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Terry Hallahan from the Sussex Barn Owl Group will be talking about these engaging birds.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1^st February.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

08 February – The history of Rye Harbour Farm…

Saturday 8^th February 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Frank Langrish, a well known local farmer, talks about the interaction between agriculture, landscapes and SSSI’s in the local area.

Frank Langrish, a well known local farmer renowned for sheep rearing, will take us through the history of Rye Harbour Farm, Caste farm and Pett Level, over the last 150 years .

He will talk about how the agriculture created the original landscapes and the method of farming created the SSSI’s.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st January.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

11 January – Our Natural Heritage- safe in their…

Saturday 11^th January 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Presented by David Phillips, a retired environmental consultant who is passionate about protecting the countryside and the wildlife that inhabits it.

This talk charts the alarming decline in our biodiversity (UK) in spite of all of the policies and designations which are in place to protect it.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1^st December.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

12 April – The Royal Military Canal and its…

Saturday 12th April 2025 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

An in-depth and interactive look at this important part of our local history and landscape presented by Michael Steed.

Michael read history and land economy at Cambridge and has developed an interest in the Royal Military Canal, its history and importance.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st May.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

14 December – Fascinating and thought-provoking Rye Harbour History

Saturday December 14^th 2024 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Find out about interesting aspects of local history from this series of four short talks by our own RHNR history group

The Rye Harbour History group has been researching various aspects of local history.

Four presenters will each give a short talk on a subject that has fascinated them. Come and listen to their enthusiasm and find out more about what went on in the past locally.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1^st November.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

09 November – The Wonders of Bird Migration

Saturday 9th November 2024 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Presented by James Duncan.

Migration is an amazing feat of endurance and navigation. Join James Duncan from the SWT to find out more about this fascinating topic.

Birds are without doubt the planet’s ultimate travellers, with approximately half the UK species migrating each year. Some may not go far, yet others undertake truly epic feats of stamina and endurance, crossing oceans, mountains and continents. But how do they do it? Why do they do it? And how has this behaviour come about? Come along to find out.

Well known to many at RHNR, James is a brilliant speaker and has been a passionate birder (and all-round naturalist) since childhood. This will be an excellent and entertaining talk.

He describes ‘I’ve trained my eyes and ears to detect their presence, (birds) both visible and invisible. I’m often to be found scouring the UK countryside (and further afield) for migrant birds. Otherwise, I’m regularly found with a camera, whether it be focused on wildlife, landscape or astronomy. Before returning to my home county of Sussex, I worked for the RSPB managing landscapes, surveying Corncrake and Wader populations and leading guided walks on the Outer Hebrides’.

These talks are for members of The Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve only. There is no charge, though donations are gratefully accepted. If you are not a member of The Friends but would like to attend, please JOIN US and let us know.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st October.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

12 October – Cetaceans of Sussex

Saturday 12th October 2024 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Presented by Thea Taylor from the Sussex Dolphin Project.

Join Thea and James from the Sussex Dolphin Project for an evening of information on the whales, dolphins and porpoises found off the Sussex Coast.

The evening will consist of a talk and a Q&A session for you to ask questions about these charismatic but elusive animals.

In the talk, they will cover what their research programme has discovered, the questions still unanswered, how they look to protect our local cetaceans in the future, and the actions they are taking currently.

Thea Taylor is a marine biologist and Managing Director of the Sussex Dolphin Project. She has been involved with SDP since 2018 and has a particular interest in cetacean behaviour and human impacts.

James Milton is a student at the University of Sussex. He is the project support officer with the Sussex Dolphin Project and runs their terrestrial conservation and education section.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st September.

Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.