What a strange and challenging year it was. Many people discovered the benefits of having places such as our nature reserve to visit, and had more time to notice the nature on their doorsteps. Find out more about the wildlife that visited our reserve in Barry Yates’ review of 2020.
In terms of December sightings – two rare birds provided a bit of avian cheer for local birdwatchers, including a shore lark, which was seen several times. You can read Chris Bentley’s summary of what was seen in December.
And we have a small group of birds, raven, buzzard, peregrine and bearded tit, that likely bred here in the past, were lost due to either persecution or habitat loss, but have re-established themselves since the declaration of the nature reserve in 1970. Chris Bentley wrote about these in Rye News before Christmas.
The amazing interpretation (featured at top) is what we’ve all been working on, and is now being installed inside the Discovery Centre, explaining the mosaic of habitats, and the history of the reserve – human, natural and military.
These are challenging times for everyone and everything – including planning the opening of a visitor centre, but we are delighted to welcome Leah Athol-Murray to the team who will be manager of the new café and talks about the role food has played in her life.
Image Credits: Sussex Wildlife Trust .