Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve packed out the Winchelsea Beach Community Hall to be taken on a 205-mile virtual tour of Sussex’s amazingly varied wildlife.
The presenter was the hugely entertaining Michael Blencowe, the community wildlife officer at Sussex Wildlife Trust.
Michael took us on a rollercoaster tour of some of the most diverse geology found anywhere in the UK. Sussex’s unique geology has in turn given rise to an exceptionally varied range of natural habitats that are protected by the Sussex Wildlife Trust. In total their 30 nature reserves, across both West and East Sussex, cover 4,500 acres.
We were introduced to broad range of plants and animals, from the shy and nocturnal wild boar to the Mediterranean gull, which sounds like a cat’s meow and whose cry is a sign that spring is approaching.
The amazing achievements of the Sussex Wildlife Trust date back to 1912 and the creation of the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves, chaired by banker and the nature conservation pioneer Charles Rothschild.
The audience was reminded that Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, one of the largest in Sussex, recently received the accolade of Britain’s favourite nature reserve from LandLove magazine.
For those of you who haven’t been to the reserve for some time, you might want to watch their new awe-inspiring aerial film. The film, which plays regularly at Kino, has led to a surge in membership with Rye Harbour now hosting nearly 2,000 Friends, many of whom help with the regular beach-clean. The next beach-clean is on Saturday March 25.
The next members’ talk will be on Saturday March 18 when Tony Moulton will share spectacular images of some of the wildlife gems to be found on the reserve.
Photo: Rye News Library
Image Credits: Rye Harbour Nature Reserve .