Barry Yates
@rxnature
Improving wildlife habitats and promoting nature in the coast and countryside around Rye in SusseX, UK, where fishing boats show the RX registration.
Saucer Bugs are a common underwater predator in local ditches. They are flattened and their front legs are adapter to sharp pincers catch its prey. Their hind legs are their swimming legs and have long hairs to make them effective oars. Handle with care - it can inflict a painful bite!
French Purple Herons do not always hide in reedbeds like ones in Sussex!
Eurasian Oystercatcher has red beak, feet and eyes. Any others 3/3? #RedBeakFeetEyes #BirdOfTheDay
Help please. Does anyone know what this is floating on a Sussex pond amongst Frogbit.
Dance of the Sandwich Terns A pair of displaying terns doing their courtship dance to establish a pair bond. Both have full black crowns - whereas most adults have started losing the black feathers. Video speeded up 4 times.
A female Avocet catching tiny animals all day long to build 4 large eggs. Video at a quarter speed.
A rare close encounter with two Wood Sandpipers feeding in a Sussex wetland this morning. A spring migrant that is in a hurry to refuel and then fly to breed in subarctic wetlands, from the Scottish Highlands in the west, east across Eurasia and the Palearctic. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
I migrating Spotted Redshank dropped into Pett Level this morning, but it wasn't appreciated by the territorial Common Redshank, who chased it away... @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #redshank
This tiny Temminck's Stint was briefly at Pett Level yesterday, but it couldn't be found this morning. It's a rare migrant and is probably half way to somewhere like Finland already! The second part of the video is at half speed. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #stint
The first of these Lapwing chicks hatched yesterday about 5pm - we saw the female take the eggshell away. This morning at 8am the female was still sitting on the nest, on the last egg to hatch or a recently hatched chick, while the 3 older chicks were waiting to get on with finding their own food.
A late wintering, scaly-backed, male Ruff showing no sign of any of the elaborate feathers that gives it its name. Feeding at the Pett Level trail cam on 14th April. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #ruff
A Common Redshank in breeding plumage, showing off its bright orange legs. Feeding in front of the Pett Level trail camera.
Common Snipe feeding in front of the trail camera at Pett Level. 11th April
Green Sandpiper in its breeding plumage - more distinctly white spotted. From a Pett Level trail camera on 10th April. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #sandpiper
Here is an Avocet catching and swallowing two bloodworms - the bright red larva of a non-biting midge (Chironomid). The video speed is at a quarter speed, then repeated at an eighth of normal speed.
Vermiculated - consisting of, or characterised by sinuous or wavy outlines or markings resembling the form or tracks of a worm. The breeding plumage of a drake Gadwall.
A Common Redshank about to snatch a fly for the theme of #Reflections for today's #BirdOfTheDay
The first returning Common Sandpiper appeared on 12th April. It looked similar to the overwintering Green Sandpipers (2 seen yesterday), but the Common has very patterned upper and underwings - as seen below. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
Some female Shoveler ducks are still testing the males in high speed flights that circle and twist over the wetlands. Only the fittest will pass on their genes and you can see who is the favourite...
A brief dispute this morning between a Little Ringed Plover pair and an extra female - on the left at the start. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
A rare spring image of the 2 ringed plover species standing side by side. The Ringed Plover (left) would normally see off the Little Ringed Plover, but perhaps he is a lonely Ringed Plover... @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #plover
Yesterday morning's 2 day old Lapwing chicks had reduced to this one by the afternoon. Then none this morning, after 3 days of cold weather. So, the female will be feeding to lay another clutch of 4 eggs - that will weigh half her body weight - and when they hatch it should be better chick weather.
The first Lapwing chicks hatched yesterday, but in this cold wind they have to be warmed for long periods by their parents. This means less time for feeding - the chicks find all their own food - and food will be sparse in the cold, so their survival chance looks low. 1/2
Some of the 22 Golden Plovers roosting at Rye Harbour this morning. The bird on the right is in full breeding plumage. The smaller birds are Dunlin, also getting their black breeding feathers. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
One in a million. Walking through local ancient woodlands today, I probably saw a million white flowers of Wood Anemone. Then I noticed this one ...