Bird survey - local ornithologist wanted
In the early days of Rye Meadows we were fortunate to have Peter Firth, a local well-respected ornithologist undertake bird surveys for us. Peter was a well known walker on Ashtead Common following his hobby of bird-watching.
Daphne Burnett asked him if he would do a monthly bird survey on Rye Meadows for us and Peter agreed. He would do his early morning walk and record the varities of birds he had seen, noting their numbers and positions. He would then write up his diary and send us the details to be published on the web site.
Sadly Peter fell ill and was unable to continue his work, and he passed away in 2022. His work though was continued by Roy Guy, another local keen bird-watcher, and Roy also carried out a monthly Meadows walk recording the bird numbers he had seen. Roy too has now given up his Meadows walks and we are keen for someone else to take his place.
If you are interested in birds and would like permission to walk through the meadows each month recording bird numbers, we will be very happy to welcome you on board. Just email your interest and we will get back to you.
Owl Box - still vacant possession!
A few years ago we had an owl box installed in one of the large trees that look along Rye Meadows. Owls are frequently heard at night in the area and we were hopeful an owl would take up residence in the box. The box is regularly checked for signs of occupation, but to date we have only seen evidence of squirrel "squatters" using the box. We are hopeful that one day we will have a resident owl keeping guard over the meadows.