Rye Harbour
A nice sunny and relatively mild day gave a good time at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, then on to Parkwood just north of Appledore.
Sandwich Tern in a hurry with it’s Lunch
Star attraction at Rye were the Sandwich Terns busying themselves collecting fish from the Sea, at great speed I should add. One small Island on the Pool must have had 100 or more squashed up against each other. Good thing they seem to get along with each other OK.
Nothing else happening much; a Ringed Plover strolled along the edge of the River by the fishing boats, quite a few Skylarks were hopping around the longer grass to the west of the Reserve and the usual Herons and Little Egrets strolling around the shallows without a care in the World.
Ringed Plover left and a Squirrel who didn’t like me very much!
Parkwood
The reason for diverting my homeward journey slightly was to investigate the Nightingales, the Woods there have been especially maintained to attract them.
It did not disappoint, as soon as I opened the car door, you could hear them all around, that loud sweet song followed often with 3 / 4 longer notes.
The challenge was to get a photo! 1. They’re hard to catch and 2. for such a beautiful song, they are quite plain birds and with the leaf rapidly growing on the trees I aimed and missed quite a few times.
Just as I was giving up, one landed on a fairly visible point nearby, a quick point and click produced a reasonably good photo.
At least I can say I got it!
The wood was also filled with magical Bluebells, Squirrels running here, there and everywhere plus many Chiffchaffs.
A lovely day, kept dry and quite successful photo wise.
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