Rye Meads

Getting over a very crappy week or so. Put my back out last weekend, and a lingering throat irritation turned into a full blown infection, so I have been out of action for some time.

Been a bit active over the last day or so and decided to go out this morning for a few hours. Rye Meads seemed a good place-not too far, an easy walk and plenty of resting spots. There have also been a couple of good birds there.

Arrived not long after ten, and met up with an assortment of Tony's. The walk to Draper Hide was interrupted as we watched one of the Water Voles from the boardwalk-they are slowly making a comeback here after a long decline. I remember them being pretty common here in the late 80's.
 We spent  quite a while in the Draper hide, but could not locate the Wood Sandpiper that had been present for a few days. Maximum count of Green Sands was six-and I saw two or three more elsewhere. Had a good flyby Kingfisher which returned and posed for a while. 

We then went up to the Tern Hide-water a bit high so no waders. The adult  Black Necked Grebe was distant but a superb sight. Another Kingfisher fly by several times and sat on a branch for a bit. Watched the juvenile Reed Warblers low down in some willows, and also saw one Sedge Warbler.

Expecting the Kingfisher Hide to be packed, I was surprised to only find one birder. One of the young Kingfishers seemed to be permanently attached to one of the posts. An adult kept flying in and out of the hole before flying off.

I slowly made my way back, calling in at Draper where I found Simon scanning for the Wood Sand-it seems to have gone for good, but no doubt another will be along soon.

So far this year, Kingfishers have been hard to get-only one at Amwell so far and two in the brecks, yet today I saw a minimum of four-according to the warden Vicky, they survived the winter quite well at Rye, no doubt due to the sewage works.