On a chilly but beautiful day on Saturday February 2, 28 local walkers came along to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve to take part in a three-hour walk celebrating World Wetlands Day.
Nature Reserve warden Chris Bentley led the walk, which started and ended at Brede Lock.
He said: “We visited Castle Water and Camber Castle. During the walk, we spotted a couple of marsh harriers, a great white egret (once rare here but now becoming increasingly common) as well as lots of shoveler, wigeon, teal and gadwall ducks. And a hare!”
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is an internationally important Ramsar* wetland site. Wetlands are naturally low lying or water-fed areas of land which help store and filter huge amounts of water. In doing so, they enable wildlife to cope better with climate change. Sussex Wildlife Trust has been working hard at improving the wetlands at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, which has resulted in a positive impact on bird numbers.
Work will be starting in March on the building of the Rye Harbour Discovery Centre, a joint project between Sussex Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. This centre will help inform visitors about the importance of preserving habitats such as wetlands to support local wildlife now and in the future.
*The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, named “Ramsar” after the Iranian city where the treaty was signed in 1971.
You can help support the Discovery Centre here.
Image Credits: Barry Yates .