Sussex
Scrapbook ~ Wildlife walks throughout the year
Sunday 20th May - Tuesday 22nd May 2012
Rye and Kent
After spending most of
the weekend with the scouts on a hike from Pulborough to Billingshurst followed
by a camp-out at our HQ, Gill and I took ourselves off to the outmost eastern
edge of Sussex to celebrate my 50th birthday. We'd even decided to
'go abroad' as part of the festivities and visit Romney Marsh in Kent.
So, Monday morning saw us wolfing down a huge Full English at our B&B, which
included an egg from my nephew and niece's new chickens, before shooting off in the
hot sun to Ivychurch in the middle of said marsh.
We stayed just around the corner at the
end of famous Mermaid Street.
Here, at the Old Borough Arms.
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Rye church at the top of the hill is visible for miles and is a magnet for all
visitors, including the many Germans who were here this weekend.
We started off on our Romney ramble from
Ivychuch in the centre of the marsh. Some lovely roads for motorcyclists here!
A lot of our walk was through tall fields of Rape interspersed with ditches like this.
St Mary's at St Mary in the Marsh.
A grotesque in the church.
Another footpath sign to
our collection.
Birthday cake in the marshes.
Swan and cygnet. We kept hearing Cuckoo
and Reed warbler too
An unopened brother or sister!
A Brown Hare - Gill thought he looked like he was having a wee!
Tuesday 22nd
May 2012
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve
On this side the reserve appears desolate but it's actually teeming with
birdlife.
To many birds this is paradise!
Breeding is in full swing and we saw a Black Headed Gull chick being taken by a
Black-backed Gull. Nature in the raw.
Common Tern
The other side of the reserve is very different. Lots of water and reeds, lush
grass and sheep.
We pretty soon heard a Cetti's Warbler belting out its explosive song as well as
Reed and Sedge Warbler singing robotically from the reeds.
A
Kestrel at 12 o'clock high.
Reed Bunting
Old 'enry's castle.
And then we started to get views of
Cuckoo: at least two of 'em!
At the Bittern Watchpoint, virtually at the end of the walk, we finally
got a really good view of a Marsh Harrier.
Take the time to read
the
countryside code for yourself and please stick to it at all times.