Low Carbon Birding
This excellent new book, including a chapter about Rye Meads, describes how we will all need to consider the carbon footprint of our birding activities in future, and is now available at the RSPB Visitor Centre.
Rye Meads Ringing Group
Information and activities
Rye Meads Ringing Group
Information and activities
Roger
September-October 2022 – Beardies are back
As summer visitors gave way to winter visitors, headlines were stolen by our biggest flock of Bearded Tits for 43 years, and our 5th Spoonbill - but other records were also set!
More foreign visitors arriving
It's always interesting to catch foreign ringed birds for what that can tell us, like these two refugees from wintry weather further east.
July – August 2022 – hot, hot, hot…
A fairly arduous couple of months, for birds and ringers alike, with ongoing drought conditions and record high temperatures. But we still managed to find some interesting birds!
May-June 2022 – Trouble afoot in the Gull and Tern Colony
An almost total loss of chicks from our Gull and Tern colony was sadly the main news of the period. We think we know the culprit...
An update on our rehab Bittern
Back in September 2016, a juvenile female Bittern that had been in care after an accident was released at Rye Meads with one of our rings on it. Alan Harris provides the latest news on her story.
March-April 2022 – Back in the South Lagoons!
For the first time in two years, we've been allowed back into the South Lagoons, and our observations (and ringing) have been boosted as a result. But what species had a record count for Rye Meads?
January-February 2022 – mild, stormy and largely bird-free
In a period that was quiet ornithologically and anything but meteorologically, birds were not easy to find; but we did manage a, unusual duck and our seventh Rye Meads record of... well, read on to find out!
November-December 2021
This was a quiet period: wildfowl seemed to desert us, and winter visitors were low in number. But we did set a site record for one species...
Ringing Review of 2021
A bad breeding season, no access to Thames Water land, further Covid restrictions... Ringing totals were low, but where were the bright spots?