Rye Harbour – Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Talk 14 December 2024

The December talk was a little different, in that it was a compilation of three short talks. These were presented by members of the Rye Harbour History group and each illustrated talk reflected a different aspect of local history.

The topics were:

The Coast Blockade at Rye Harbour – deterring smuggling in the 19th century through the writing of an officer – presented by Angie Perkins.
- Smuggling was such a huge operation in the 18^th and 19^th centuries that the government felt they had go to enormous lengths to curb the ’ trade’ along a lengthy stretch of the south coast and between 1817 and 1831 a coastal blockade was put in place. This talk gave us a personal insight into this blockade through the writing of a Naval officer.
Old Winchelsea, a town lost to the sea in 1287 – presented by David Dennis.
- Old Winchelsea, a large, vibrant port and shipbuilding town had been built upon a spit of land in Rye Bay. Very vulnerable to severe weather, coastal erosion and the changing coastline the town was eventually lost to the sea during a severe storm in 1287. David looked at what is known about this town and helped to bring it to life for the audience.
History in Photographs – The Mary Stanford Lifeboat disaster of 1928 – presented by Roy Brigden.
- The Mary Stanford disaster was a tragic incident that never should have happened. All 17 lifeboat men lost their lives and this would have affected every household in the village of Rye Harbour. Putting out to sea in appalling weather to rescue a boat that was already safe by the time the lifeboat was launched, would seem unthinkable these days, however communications were very different in 1928. Through old Photographs Roy explained how the disaster unfolded and the aftermath. However, to this day no one knows what exactly happened to cause the death of all those on board.

All were very interesting, lavishly illustrated and providing an insight into a different era.

An excellent afternoon was had by all.

Past Projects

Staff Funding

For more than 50 years the Friends have contributed to the costs of staffing the nature reserve. This enabled the team to increase from a summer warden, to a full time one in then 2, then 3 wardens, then a full time education role. During this time the staff were first employed by the Management Committee, then in 1992 by East Sussex County Council, then from 2011 by Sussex Wildlife Trust.

Now a larger team works on the nature reserve and another team in the Discovery Centre to deliver more habitat management and more public engagement, education and other activities.

Past Projects

Fencing

Much of the success of increasing the numbers of ground nesting birds has depended on developing fencing to exclude most Foxes and Badgers from the core areas. This has been a great investment in materials and staff and volunteer time, and it will be an ongoing commitment to retain much of the bird breeding interest of the area.

This fencing also enables the 400,000 visitors and their many dogs to visit the reserve and have little impact on the nesting birds.

Past Projects

Land Purchase

When Castle Water came up for sale in 1992, the Friends were able to make a significant contribution that enabled Sussex Wildlife Trust to become the new owner. Together these two charities have improved the site for people and wildlife – it’s now a diverse wetland with many rare and endangered species, that can be explored by a network of permissive paths that lead to the reedbed viewpoint, a birdwatching hide and several benches.

Past Projects

Vehicles and Equipment

The Friends have funded the purchase of vehicles and equipment that have enabled the staff and volunteers to be more effective in managing the nature reserve.

The have included: LandRover, utility vehicles, trailers, pedestrian cutting machines, brushcutters, generators and water pumps.

The utility vehicle above was purchased in memory of a loyal supporter, Lynn Jenkins, who left a legacy to help the place she loved and spent so much time enjoying nature.

Past Events

Talk 09 November 2024

Special Breeding Birds of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve (RHNR) by Dr. Barry Yates

Our planned talk by James Duncan from the SWT on ‘The Wonders of Migration’ had to be postponed, but instead The Friends were treated to a talk by the retired RHNR manager, and current chairman of the Friends Committee, Dr Barry Yates.

Barry spoke to us about the ‘Special Breeding Birds of RHNR ‘and we found out just how important RHNR is for many threatened species. A large proportion of Sussex’s breeding Ringed Plover, Redshank, Lapwing, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern and Marsh Harriers – to name just a few, make RHNR their home for the summer and raise (or attempt to raise) young here. Life is very difficult for these birds and Barry highlighted some of the difficulties faced by these birds, and the importance of measures like electric fences (great, but expensive) to help prevent predation and lack of disturbance whilst breeding. Food supply in the sea and in their breeding habitat on the reserve is another problem many birds face. Birds like Sandwich Tern are able to travel up to 12-km out and along the coast to find food and still frequently struggle to find sufficient food for their chicks. The highly vulnerable Little Tern can only travel 1-km and if there is not sufficient food close by in the sea the chicks can easily starve.

All in all an extremely interesting talk, and the importance of our reserve not just for Sussex, but for the whole of the UK should not be underestimated.

Past Events

Guide in a Hide 02 November 2024

On a pleasant but slightly chilly day, we engaged with at least 165 Adults and 32 youngsters.

The highlights at the Gooders hide were three Spoonbill, two Avocet, and the large flocks of Golden Plover and Oystercatchers, plus a superb male Marsh Harrier going over, causing pandemonium amongst everything on flat beach – disturbance for the birds, but quite a sight for those watching.

Many of the visitors were unfamiliar with the birds on the Reserve and very appreciative of the help provided by the Guides. Youngsters very quickly get the hang of looking through binoculars and telescopes and finding new birds to see.

There were also some challenging questions, including a child of four or five years old asking whether the one-legged Avocet would find as much food as the two-legged Avocet!

The Guides appreciate the opportunity to inspire the visitors, especially the younger ones, to gain a better understanding of the natural world.

Past Events

Talk 12 October 2024

The Cetaceans of Sussex by Thea Taylor

Thea Taylor, a Marine Biologist and Managing Director of the Sussex Dolphin Project, gave an excellent talk to the Friends of RHNR last Saturday.

The Sussex Dolphin Project was set up in 2018 because the Sussex coast was one of the least studied cetacean habitats in the UK, with very little data on these mammals. Historical evidence and information from local communities indicated that it was not the case that they were absent, just that no data had been collected.

Improved reporting is now available for West Sussex and for East Sussex going westwards from Eastbourne, but from Eastbourne to Kent there is still a huge gap in the data.

The species Thea covered were Bottlenose Dolphin, which are the most common Dolphins seen off our coast, the rarer Common Dolphin, the oceanic White-beaked Dolphin and the Harbour Porpoise.
She also talked about ongoing research, what is needed in the future to protect these fantastic mammals, the threats they face and how we can help.

A key take-away the talk was the things we can all do to support the Sussex Dolphin project by joining, volunteering and, very importantly, reporting any sightings (along with good quality photo’s if you have them) and any strandings to the Sussex Dolphin Project (https://sussexdolphinproject.org/).

There is ID help available on the website, along with lots of information and opportunities. If you do have a sighting of one of these mammals, scroll down a little on the home page and REPORT IT!

Past Events

Guide in a Hide 05 October 2024

A big thank you to all of those who helped with delivering a great GIAH experience for many visitors to the reserve. The weather was kind and there were many people out and about enjoying the pleasant October sunshine.

The team based in the Gooders hide engaged with 130 Adults and 52 young people. Those based near the Discovery Centre engaged with 43 Adults.

At the Gooders hide we had over 30 species of bird, including Bar-tailed Godwit and a distant Greenshank. Swallows were constantly passing through and a large bouncing flock of Linnet caught the attention of visitors on several occasions. These birds would then often land on the saltmarsh areas along with Meadow Pipits and a few fluttery Skylarks in order to feed on the plant seed available. Redshanks, with their brightly coloured legs and habit of ‘paddling’ straight in front of the hide were enjoyed by many. Another popular sight, particularly through the telescopes, was close-up views of a feeding Curlew. Visitors were often stunned by the length of the bill.

Outside the Discovery Centre, 29 species provided lots of interest, including a Kingfisher and Hobby which were appreciated by those present at the time. Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit were on the Saltmarsh and easily viewable through the available telescopes.

Duck numbers are building up nicely, with whistling Wigeon drawing attention to themselves, whilst amongst them were a few Pintail, Teal and Gadwall plus the more common Mallard.

giah

26 April – Guide in a Hide

Saturday 26th April 10.00 AM – 3.00 PM

Drop in to the Gooders hide between the car park and the sea where there will be guides stationed throughout the day to show you the birds. Binoculars, telescopes and spotter sheets available for you to use.

Suitable for all.

400m walk towards the sea from  Rye Harbour car park, TN31 7TY

No booking necessary