18th March, 2026 The pair on the small mere in front of the David Feast hide at Stodmarsh are starting to nest build and also starting to court. They never quite reach the weed carrying climax of their intricate display but they come together often to dance and preen together, and briefly mate on a…
Tag: Gadwall
Stodmarsh – hunting hen harrier
St Patrick’s Day In the bright afternoon, a female hen harrier flies low over the ground and always into the sun to ambush the teal and snipe near the Marsh hide. She never manages a kill but comes very close; the snipe screech and take off and the teal flock splashes into the middle of…
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve
The first day of February is bright sunshine and the Nature Reserve and its visitor centre draws a crowd after a permanently miserable January. The rapid flow of incoming seawater in one of the main channels from the Rother attracts a patient little egret surrounded by a handful of less patient herring gulls that are…