Talk – Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

14 November – Finding and Identifying Lichens in East…

Saturday 14th November 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Keith Palmer will enlighten us as to the lichens that can to be found in local neighbourhoods including within Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and will demonstrate the diversity of the lichen flora of the county.

The talk will be illustrated by copious photographs of many species while the basic biology of lichens and the diverse characteristics they show will be covered though the focus will be on fairly common and conspicuous lichens.

Having been a naturalist since the mid-1960s, Keith arrived at lichens in the mid-80s. A one-time member of the British Lichen Society he surveyedover the next decade almost all churchyards in Kent where he then lived and a good many in Sussex, creating lists from over a thousand sites. While his main natural history interests have moved on in the present century, he retains an affection for lichens which after all do keep still while you are trying to study them at close quarters and, what’s more, can continue to be studied during the winter !

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.

Talks

10 October – The Martello Towers

Saturday 10th October 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Peter Hibbs will be enlightening us as to their history and purpose.

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.

Talks

12 September – The Waterlife Recovery Trust

The Waterlife Recovery Trust and our work around Rye Harbour

Saturday 12th September 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

This talk introduces the Waterlife Recovery Trust (a charity formed in 2022) and our work with partners to help native wetland wildlife recover by tackling one key pressure: the invasive non-native American mink.

Mink are highly effective predators and can quickly wipe out local colonies of water voles, as well as taking wetland birds, amphibians and fish. Around Rye Harbour we work in collaboration with local organisations and land managers to detect mink presence and remove mink humanely using remotely monitored “smart” cage traps.

Alex Rumph, High Weald Project Officer from Waterlife Recovery Trust will explain how this catchment-based approach works in practice, what it means for species such as water voles and ground-nesting birds, and how local volunteers can play a vital role in keeping waterways mink-free.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st August.
Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

Talks

08 August – Wonders of Winchelsea Beach

Saturday 8th August 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Presented by Cliff Dean.

“Dogs Hill Road” What hill? What dogs? Whether you walk, cycle or swim here, you may never have noticed its mysterious features.

I’ve lived for many years at the west end of the marsh and, since I arrive at the Nature Reserve from this direction, I’ve long puzzled over the features I notice.

This is not everybody’s idea of an “historic landscape” but once you start looking, you see a changing coast, battles against the sea, a vanished harbour, military defences, and a succession of dwellings from the improvised structures of early 20th century holidaymakers to the more recent gentrification, marking an astonishing transition from the barest shingle to a vegetated settlement.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st July.
Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

Talks

11 July – Understanding Fossils

Saturday 11th July 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

In this illustrated talk Ken Brooks will explain how fossils are formed and their importance in reconstructing ancient environments, to the origins of present-day species. In the Hastings area we are fortunate in having a variety of fossilised remains, including plants, fish and dinosaurs and Ken will be sharing his knowledge of these with us.

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

Talks

13 June – Northiam Naturally!

Saturday 13th June 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Local Ecologist Brian Banks is collaborating with Northiam Parish Council on a local nature recovery project. A new nature reserve in Northiam has been established with the aim of better managing Ancient Woodland, creating two new ponds and better managing two existing shaded ponds. Funded by the Newt Partnership, there is the hope Great Crested Newts will colonise. Brian will also be enlightening us about Amphibians and Reptiles found locally.

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.

Talks

09 May – Pett Level Rescue

Saturday 9th May 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Steve Hill from Pett Level Rescue will take us through how this independent lifeboat came into being, and what they do in today’s world. Working closely with the local Coastguard and RNLI they have an important place in our community.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st April.
Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

Talks

11 April – Rye Harbour: More than just Wildlife

“A look back at the story of Rye Harbour”

Saturday 11th April 2026 1.30pm – 3pm at the Discovery Centre.

Roy Brigden, long standing Friend and volunteer of RHNR and part of the History Group at the Discovery Centre, will explore the changing face of the village, its people and surroundings over the past 200 years.

Limited places are available and booking for members of The Friends will open at 8.00am on 1st March.
Please note that dogs (except for guide dogs that have been pre-booked) are not allowed at talks.

Past Events

Talk 08 March 2025

Members of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve had a fantastic talk on Saturday 8^th March by Terry Hallahan, who is one of the leaders of the Sussex Barn Owl Group. The talk ‘Barn Owls and Barn Owls in Sussex’ was in two parts: the first covering interesting facts about the Barn Owl, plus it’s demise and more recent upsurge; the second part covering the activities of the Barn Owl Group who are committed to preservation and protection of Sussex’s Barn Owl population.

Amazingly, Barn Owls are the world’s most widely distributed land bird, and with 35 subspecies, they are found on every continent except Antarctica. Unfortunately, we are at one of their northern extremes and in some years, they struggle in our climate. Unable to hunt in wet weather, they need excellent habitat in which to find plentiful food when it is dry. In addition to the lack of habitat, and nesting sites proving challenging for them, road traffic collisions are a major problem accounting for the deaths of between 3000 and 5000 Barn Owls each year. This equates to about 65% of all reported fatalities.

To counteract the loss of traditional nesting sites, the Barn Owl Group puts up boxes and it is now estimated over 90% of Barn Owls are using boxes. This has helped to increase their numbers over the last few years.

In addition to installing boxes at suitable locations, the Barn Owl Group works with landowners and undertakes considerable monitoring, ringing and conservation activities.

They are always looking for help, donations and sponsorship. For more information see https://www.sos.org.uk/archives/5869 or email info@sussexbarnowlgroup.org

Past Events

Talk 08 February 2025

This Friends‘ talk, ‘The history of Rye Harbour Farm, Castle Farm and Pett Level, over the last 150 years’ was given by Frank Langrish, a well-known local farmer, renowned for his sheep rearing.

Presented in chronological order, we found out many interesting facts about Romney Marsh itself, plus life and farming on the marsh. As the Marsh is defined as being the land that is on the sea side of the Royal Military Canal between Pett Level and Hythe, stretching as far inland as Appledore, the area is huge and includes Pett level and areas around Rye. Frank feels strongly that it is the farming and the people that have created the habitat and landscape, and that is why a very large area of the land is now designated as SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), SPA (Special Protection Area) and RAMSAR (Wetland Site Under Special Protection).

The marsh can be an inhospitable place and many techniques were employed by farmers in order to succeed. The wool and meat trade was at one point very valuable and before WW2 sheep rearing was the main type of farming on the marsh, with around half a million sheep on the marsh. Now there are only about 20,000.

Frank spoke in length about the area around Camber Castle and Castle farm, which his father bought in 1978 ‘lock, stock and barrel’. There have been huge changes over the last 150 years and Frank was able to bring this period to life for us. All in all this was a very interesting talk.