Walk with a Ranger at Rye Harbour - Winter Birds (420337035)

Walk Leader: Matt Rich

Join our Ranger Matt for an exclusive guided walk around Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. Focusing on the birds seen here on the cusp of winter, you'll spot seasonal wildlife and hear from Matt about the important work of our Rangers and volunteers. Previous attendees of Matt's walks said:

"I feel a learned a lot. The guide was very knowledgeable and his passion about wildlife infectious."

"Listening to Matt describe some of the intricacies of running the reserve was particularly interesting."

We'll take a circular walk around the beach and saltmarsh part of the nature reserve, stopping off at our bird hides. There will be opportunities to ask questions on the way.

This time of year is good for winter visiting ducks like Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, maybe Pintails. There may be flocks of small birds, as well as Lapwing and Golden Plover, which may in turn attract birds of prey. We're likely to see resident Little Egrets and we may spot visiting waders like Curlew, Dunlin and Redshank.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is a wetland wildlife habitat of national and international importance, particularly for waterbirds, as well as insects. The mosaic of habitats supports many rare and vulnerable species and includes saltmarsh, grazing marsh, shingle, saline lagoons and ditches.

Location: Meet at Rye Harbour Discovery Centre, Rye Harbour, TN31 7FW, see our website for how to find us. The Centre sits within the nature reserve and houses a cafe, gift shop and public toilets, free wifi is available.

What to bring: We recommend bringing binoculars, although if you don't own a pair, we’ll have some available to borrow. Please dress for the weather.

Parking: The main Car Park at Harbour Road, Rye Harbour, TN31 7TT is about a 7 minute walk from the Discovery Centre.

Accessibility: Our gently-paced 2 mile (3 km) walk will start and end at Rye Harbour Discovery Centre, a wheelchair-friendly venue, with a step-free entrance ramp. Toilet facilities include two that are wheelchair accessible and we will be no more than a mile away from them on the walk. Most of the route is easy for wheelchairs, and the bird hides are accessible. However a section of the walk has some uneven and loose surfaces, making it moderately difficult for manual wheelchairs.

Public Transport: The 313 Stagecoach bus travels from Northiam to Rye train station and on to Rye Harbour village.

Dogs: Please note that although we welcome well-behaved dogs to the café, they are not generally permitted on our events, walks and courses (except assistance dogs).

Cancellation policy: Refunds are not usually available within 30 days of a scheduled event. Please read our Terms & Conditions before booking. If we need to cancel this event at late notice due to unforeseen circumstances or severe weather, we'll contact you by phone and email, so please check your messages before setting out.

If you have any questions about this event, email us at: rhdcoffice@sussexwt.org.uk

Photos: Curlew in flight © Alan Price, aerial view of RHNR © Stuart Conway.