Winter Waderland

Author Barry Yates

lapwing / Barry Yates

My birding life has been dominated by wading birds or shorebirds. From studying redshank nesting on saltmarsh in Lancashire, counting breeding greenshank in the flow country, to following the brief and curious breeding season of the red-necked phalarope in Shetland. I now regularly count the numbers at Rye Harbour, which has 44 species on the nature reserve list including six that nest.

There are not many places in Sussex to see large flocks of waders, but Rye Harbour has become a better location as the new saltmarsh habitat and larger protected areas become established. Lapwing and golden plover are the most numerous with up to three thousand of each forming daytime roosts (from June to March) – both species feed at night on the sheep pastures of the surrounding Romney Marshes. But if we get several days of freezing weather both of these waders will leave the area and set off south and west for unfrozen pastures.

Most of the waders feeding on the intertidal area remain during cold weather and at high tide these birds also roost within the nature reserve’s fenced areas – a few hundred oystercatcher and smaller groups of grey plover, dunlin, redshank, knot and ringed plover. In the evening several hundred curlew assemble at their night time roost after feeding on the pasture during the day.

This concentration of waders attracts many predators, so their priority must be “DO NOT GET CAUGHT”. The larger waders are most likely to be caught by peregrine and the small ones by merlin, and it is these regular battles that bring the beach to life. The aerial predators force the wader flocks to form tight groups, wheeling in the air, then, in what has to be one of the most spectacular wildlife sights, a weaker individual is isolated and the chase is on. The predator usually comes in from a height and at high speed with great aerial manoeuvrability. This sometimes means a short chase, but sometimes it goes on and on and on … and frequently the prey escapes. Try and keep you eyes on the chase – will the wader survive or the chaser go hungry? When the chase is over all the waders relax and settle back down to roost… until the next attack.

Every time you visit Rye Harbour the wader-watching will be different, try to choose a high, high tide or plan to stay on late and watch the waders until after dusk.
If you don’t know the site you could try a guided walk – the next is on 8th January.
Click here for guided walk details.
Click here for regular sightings from Rye Harbour.

lapwing and golden plover / Barry Yates