Sandpipers at Rye Meads

15th August 2018

A nice sunny afternoon so time to pop down to the Draper Hide at Rye Meads for a couple of hours. Many of the usual suspects were present including this pair of Stock Doves, although there were at least 10 present. They are particularly common at Rye Meads, usually outnumbering Wood Pigeons, and breed each year in one or both of the Barn owl boxes located just behind the scrape.

Most of the breeding Black-headed Gulls have now departed and there were just this single adult and chick remaining. There was also a single adult Little Grebe present with no sign of any young as you would normally expect.

A lone Grey Heron spent most of its time terrorising the occupants of the scrape, frequently sending them into the air, but the Little Egret seemed to be accepted by all.

The brood of Tufted Ducks were now more or less full grown and trying to perfect thei diving skills. They had no trouble getting under water, but on many occasions dredged up garlands of Rigid Hornwort that had taken over this scrape and the Kingfisher pool this year.

Time marches on and Teal were already present in good numbers with 15 being counted on my visit, but sadly no sign of any Garganey amongst them. They are now all in eclipse plumage , so plenty of preening required.

And although next years breeding season is still a long way away, it is at this time of year that much of the courting and fighting over females takes place, and it is the Gadwall that is normally fairly active in this respect with flocks of up to 10 birds taking to the air as part of the ritual.

But now on to the stars of the show. In East Herts we are blessed with having two hot-spots for Green Sandpipers, Lemsford Springs and Rye Meads. Interestingly, colour ringing goes on at both sites but the birds, despite travelling hundreds of miles to their breeding grounds and back are loyal to their winter sites and never inter-mix. Today there were 4-5 birds present, but they can sometimes get into double figures.

And at this time of year the site often attracts Common Sandpipers on their migration, but in much smaller numbers than in days gone by. When I was at Rye Meads in the 1960s and 70s flocks of Common Sandpipers could easily get into double figures and on a good day we might get 6 birds in the net at once. Oh, Happy Days!!!!