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

 

Another visit to RSPB Bowling Green Marsh followed by a walk past the grounds of Powderham Castle on the other side of the estuary - 18th March 2026

On Wednesday, 18th March, I went by train to Topsham and visited Bowling Green Marsh for a second time during my week long visit to East Devon

One Spoonbill was standing at the end of the grassy land in the middle of the lagoon

It preened its feathers

and then flew away!

There were lots of Wigeon on the lagoon

a Black swan sailed majestically past all the Wigeon and other ducks

Pair of Eurasian Teal in front of the bird hide

and a pair of Wigeon in the same place

As I walked away from Bowling Green Marsh, I spotted a Rove beetle on the muddy lane

I then went on the train to Starcross on the other side of the Exe estuary and walked down the lane past Powderham Castle

There was a large group of mainly female Fallow deer sitting on the grass inside the grounds of Powderham Castle.  They were easily viewed from the lane through the wire fence.

I think that they were disturbed by the sound of my clicking camera as they suddenly stood up

When I walked further down the lane, I could see the castle in the distance

Lovely large tree on the estate

A few stags were gathered together in the distance

More interesting trees

Little Egret standing near a pool in the Powderham grounds

Further on, I crossed over the railway bridge and saw two Oystercatchers on the Exe estuary at low tide

A train from Exmouth trundled along the railway line on the other side of the estuary

Sleepy Curlew standing on the river bed

Lympstone Village on the other side of the estuary

On my way back to Starcross, I took a photo of Powderham church

and was startled by a train traveling along the railway line between the estuary and the lane!