Birds, wildlife, nature and Camber Castle - walk round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve on 18th April 2026

My walk from Winchelsea Beach to the main part of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve took me past these two beautiful white horses in a field near an entrance to the reserve

I went past several modern houses

and one with an old railway carriage attached to the side

Robin singing happily in the morning sun

Common Whitethroat at the top of the branches

Little Egret in the Salt Pool

Distant Spotted Redshank in summer plumage some distance away in the Salt Pool

Another Common Whitethroat singing on the top of a tall shrub

Avocets on a little island in one of the lagoons

Some rather extravagant additions to mobile homes at the edge of Rye Harbour holiday park

RNLI crew cruising along the river Rother

Avocet and a Mallard with a lot of ducklings - viewed from Gooders hide

Groups of Sandwich Terns on small islands at Flat Beach

The iconic black tin shed with red roof and white windows/door

Church at the edge of the road in Rye Harbour

Blossom on the path in the other part of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve leading to Castle Water

Sheep with a lamb, plus Jackdaw, in a field at Castle Water

It was great to see a group of Yellow Wagtails in the sheep field at Castle Water

Light-coloured goose with a Greylag on Castle Water

Approaching Camber Castle after a long walk round the reserve

Yellow Snapdragon growing on the side of the castle

Camber Castle from the other side

I was glad they were behind the fence!

 

Railway carriage houses, birds and wildlife at Winchelsea Beach and Rye Harbour nature reserve - 17th April 2026

I arrived in Winchelsea Beach at lunchtime, dropped off my luggage and went for a walk in Rye Harbour nature reserve

I was fascinated by a couple of houses along the lane - the first one obviously started life as an old railway carriage that seemed to have had a modern building added above it

The second house seemed to be formed from several carriages

I walked along the road at the edge of the coast and came across the old Mary Stanford Lifeboat House

I sat on a bench by the Lifeboat House for lunch and was joined by a Cranefly

Then I saw a Peacock butterfly resting on the ground

A Common Whitethroat perched at the top of a tree

An Oystercatcher was wading in shallow water at the Salt Pool

Pair of Avocets enjoying themselves at the Salt Pool

Pretty pink blossom on the path at the edge of the Salt Pool

Beautiful Irises in a garden on the lane leading back to Winchelsea Beach

Male Linnet sitting near the top of a bare branched tree at the edge of the lane

Modern church at Winchelsea Beach, which I gather is being converted into a private house

Rabbits on the recreation ground at Winchelsea Beach

 

Birds and flowers in Battersea Park on hot sunny 8th April 2026

Lovely patch of Bluebells on the path at the beginning of my walk in the park

Egyptian parent and three goslings were startled by a sudden heavy flow of water from a nearby pipe

Close-up of gosling searching for snacks in the grass

Four military helicopters flew in formation over the park

Grey Heron pretending to be a statue in the Old English Garden

Beautiful white/yellow Irises

There were many fancy-shaped Tulips in the Old English Garden

The Grey Heron had moved round to the other side of the pond and posed in front of some flowers

Back at the lake, the Egyptian parents were standing with four of their six goslings

Oregon Grape at the edge of the footpath round the lake

Rather handsome Gadwall drake

and pretty female Gadwall

Common Pochard having a splashing time!

Coots doing what Coots love - fighting!!!

Recently I have seen none or just a few Mandarins - today one was swimming around on the lake

A Grey Heron flew overhead with what looks like a large fish in its beak

Two differently-coloured Mallard drakes swam across the lake

Back almost where I started, I was happy to see several Mandarin drakes - and just one female!

 I counted six male Mandarins altogether, but they refused to all be photographed together