Photo Gallery - the site
Here are some pictures of Rye Meads, showing some of the habitats around the site. Click on the thumbnail for a full sized picture (opens in a new window). Copyright in each of these images remains with the original Rye Meads Ringing Group member.
The variety of habitats
Rye Meads is blessed with a wide variety of habitats, which helps to explain the breadth of both breeding and visiting species we enjoy. There is flood plain water meadow, unimproved pasture and the new 'scrape' reedbed introduced by the RSPB, the lagoons used by the Sewage Treatment Works, plenty of scrub around and between the lagoons, some mature trees, and the Works area itself.
We aim to study all of the various types of bird drawn to these different habitats. This is illustrated by the series below, which shows one of the tern rafts, which support a thriving population of Common Terns; one of our duck traps; and a mist net ride.
The 'Scrape'
These are some pictures of the 'Scrape' - the area formerly of small lagoons of the sewage treatment works, which has been transformed by the RSPB into a reedbed.
Firstly some pictures from Spring 2003. In these pictures, the scrape is fairly new, and plantings of Phragmites reeds are protected from being rooted up by birds with wire netting.
In these pictures from Spring 2006, the transformation is considerable. The first view from Draper Hide shows the reedbed in the north half with the open water area in the foreground - water levels are maintained high enough in Spring to prevent breeding attempts by waders on the exposed bank, since these always fail - the breeders are displaced to more suitable areas. At other times of year, mud is exposed for feeding waders to use. The second picture shows the now well developed reedbed. The final picture is a view over the 'first meadow' alongside the Scrape towards the RSPB hides and visitor centre.
The Ringing Hut
And now some pictures of the Ringing Hut, housing the ringing laboratory and also storage and overnight accommodation, which here is being re-roofed by members during Summer 2005:
Some aerial views
These are views taken in 2010 - the first shows the whole site looking roughly towards the south-east, with the RSPB reserve in the foreground with the Sewage Works and eight remaining operational settlement lagoons (the South Lagoons) beyond; the second looks north-east and shows the Reserve with the toll road, Works and South Lagoons on the right; and the third is a view from above the South Lagoons looking north-west towards the Reserve with the Visitor Centre in the lower right part of the picture.
