Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is home to over 4200 species of plants and animals. Posts by Bobbie.
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Come and explore, with our easy-access paths, wheelchair friendly birdwatching hides and the Discovery Centre with a café, shop and exhibition space.

Suspected avian botulism updateThings are certainly heading in the right direction, with fewer dead birds collected this...
11/09/2026

Suspected avian botulism update

Things are certainly heading in the right direction, with fewer dead birds collected this week. The current total of dead birds stands at 414. Changes in the weather and increased rainfall are also helping the situation to improve as this outbreak is driven by environmental conditions, namely hot weather and drought.

We are continuing to survey the site and collect dead birds. Further samples have been sent to the APHA for testing. It may take over four weeks for results to come back, as samples will be tested for multiple vectors, including avian influenza as well as for avian botulism.

We thank visitors for their co-operation by keeping dogs on leads and not visiting Castle Water. The Discovery Centre and remainder of the reserve are open but please follow on-site signage.

🌊🥾 A Short Rye Harbour Stroll, Monday 14 September, 10am 🥾🌊Don't miss this free walk on Rye Harbour Nature Reserve! Join...
10/09/2026

🌊🥾 A Short Rye Harbour Stroll, Monday 14 September, 10am 🥾🌊

Don't miss this free walk on Rye Harbour Nature Reserve! Join our friendly volunteer walk leaders who'll share their knowledge of the coastal wildlife and the local area. It's part of the wonderful High Weald Walking Festival being held from 12 to 20 September.

📅 Monday 14 September.
🕙 10am to 12.30pm.
📍 Meet next to public toilets in Rye Harbour village, Harbour Road, TN31 7TT.
🎟️ Booking essential.

It's a gentle walk of just over 3 miles, taking in several wildlife habitats, lagoons and the beach, and stopping at a bird hide. It starts at the village of Rye Harbour and ends at Rye Harbour Discovery Centre. Suitable for accompanied children and dogs on a short lead.

Find out more and book your free place here👇
www.highwealdwalks.org/event-details/a-short-rye-harbour-stroll-booking-required

High Weald National Landscape

Last month eight members of the reserve’s moth group set up two moth traps. Our aim was to try and catch a Marsh Mallow ...
10/09/2026

Last month eight members of the reserve’s moth group set up two moth traps. Our aim was to try and catch a Marsh Mallow Moth, one of the very rare moths found at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

Kent and East Sussex are the only counties in the UK where these moths live, and they are only found at a few locations.

A great evening was enjoyed by us all and we finished having caught 86 moths of 25 different species. The highlight was two Marsh Mallow Moths, one being the very first moth we caught.

[Image description: Marsh Mallow Moths that were caught in the moth trap]

Photo © Alice Oakley

Want to improve your photography skills? Join Barry Yates, the chair of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, for h...
09/09/2026

Want to improve your photography skills?

Join Barry Yates, the chair of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, for his photography workshops at Rye Arts Festival.

Barry is hosting 3 workshops:
- Walking workshop photographing flowers, insects, lichens, worn wood, pebbles and wildlife washed up along the shore.
- Walking workshop photographing birds
- Masterclass on how to take better bird photos

Barry will share his experience that enabled him to capture some of the special wildlife that lives on the reserve; he was the site manager at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve for many years.

Flower workshop: https://box-office.ryeartsfestival.org.uk/sales/events/2026/55th-annual-festival---2026/barry-yates-photography-worksh

Bird workshop: https://box-office.ryeartsfestival.org.uk/sales/events/2026/55th-annual-festival---2026/barry-yates-photography-worksh-1

How to Take Better Bird Photos masterclass: https://box-office.ryeartsfestival.org.uk/sales/events/2026/55th-annual-festival---2026/barry-yates-how-to-take-better

Photos © Barry Yates

Team member and experienced ringer Phil has been ringing birds for many years. This is when a ring is gently attached to...
07/09/2026

Team member and experienced ringer Phil has been ringing birds for many years. This is when a ring is gently attached to a birds leg.

If a bird with a ring is seen it’s possible to report it on an online database. This records where the bird has visited during its lifetime and has allowed Phil to trace the incredible journeys of sixteen individual terns spotted at Rye Harbour this summer by local bird watchers.

Thanks to ringing we know a Sandwich Tern with ring ‘Yellow UFP’ travelled from Northumberland to Senegal before joining the colony on our reserve. This is a round trip of approximately 2600 miles. In recent years it has also visited Wales and Scotland multiple times before nesting here and raising a chick.

It’s amazing that a bird weighing about 240g (the same weight as a large iPhone) can travel so far. We’re pleased that it found Rye Harbour Nature Reserve during it’s travels and chose it as a place to start the next generation.

[Image description: Sandwich Tern with a chick]

Photo © Hugh Clark FRPS

Sandwich Terns will soon be making their incredible journey of more than 4,000km from the UK.In September they begin to ...
04/09/2026

Sandwich Terns will soon be making their incredible journey of more than 4,000km from the UK.

In September they begin to head to the west and South African coast to spend the winter. This journey usually takes between 1 - 2 months.

The oldest recorded Sandwich Tern was at least 31 years and two months old, so they will have made this long journey many times during their lifetime.

One of the few bird species named after a place in the UK, Sandwich Terns are named after Sandwich Bay in Kent. In 2024 Rye Harbour Nature Reserve was the only confirmed breeding place in Sussex for Sandwich Terns.

[Image description: Sandwich Tern with fish in its beak]

Photo © Kai Hilton

Suspected avian botulism outbreak updateStaff and volunteers from Rye Harbour Nature Reserve have collected a further 12...
02/09/2026

Suspected avian botulism outbreak update

Staff and volunteers from Rye Harbour Nature Reserve have collected a further 120 dead birds from around Castle Water, in addition to the 200 collected last week, bringing the total to 320.

Castle Water remains closed to all visitors. Please follow on-site signage.

Further surveys and collections will take place later this week. We hope that removing the dead birds will help break the infection cycle.

The Discovery Centre and south-eastern part of the reserve remain open to visitors. We ask that dogs are kept on leads and out of the water.

If you find any dead birds, please do not touch them, and report them to the DEFRA helpline: 0345 933 5577.

We are still awaiting the outcome of testing to confirm the cause of the outbreak.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and co-operation at this time.

Update on the suspected avian botulism outbreak at Castle Water.Our reserve team, dressed in protective clothing, have b...
28/08/2026

Update on the suspected avian botulism outbreak at Castle Water.

Our reserve team, dressed in protective clothing, have been collecting dead birds from around Castle Water. Over 200 birds (mostly ducks, swans and other water birds) were removed from the northern part of the reserve, with further surveys and collections planned for next week.

Removing dead birds promptly helps break the cycle that spreads botulism toxin through the food chain, so it's a vital part of bringing the outbreak under control. Samples have gone to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for testing, and we'll share the results as soon as we know them.

Avian botulism poses very low risk to people, but dogs can become seriously ill if they eat an infected bird or drink contaminated water. Castle Water remains closed to visitors; the rest of the reserve and the Discovery Centre are open as usual.

Please help us protect the wildlife here:
- Keep dogs on a lead at all times
- Don't let dogs enter the water
- Avoid contact with the water
- Never touch sick, injured or dead animals
- Report dead birds to the DEFRA helpline: 0345 933 5577

Thank you for your continued support and co-operation.

Last chance to enter the photography competitionFriends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve are hosting a photography competit...
27/08/2026

Last chance to enter the photography competition

Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve are hosting a photography competition this summer.

The winning photos will be displayed on the digital exhibition screen at the Discovery Centre and Rye Station.

There are three categories:
A Rye Harbour landscape
Rye Harbour wildlife
People enjoying wildlife at Rye Harbour

There are three age groups: junior, youth and adult

Closing date: 1st September 2026

Find out more here: https://ryeharbourfriends.net/rye-harbour-wildlife-photo-competition

[Image description: a moody sky above the iconic red-roofed hut at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, with biting stonecrop in the foreground]

Photo © Barry Yates

Warning signs and safety notices have gone up around Castle Water and the wider Nature Reserve, following a suspected ou...
24/08/2026

Warning signs and safety notices have gone up around Castle Water and the wider Nature Reserve, following a suspected outbreak of avian botulism. The risk to people is very low, but please follow the guidance on-site to help protect wildlife and keep your dog safe.

Help protect local wildlife

* Keep dogs on a lead at all times
* Do not allow dogs to enter the water
* Avoid contact with water
* Never touch sick, injured or dead animals

Address

Harbour Road
Rye
TN317TX

Telephone

07884 494 982

Website

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