🔍 Overview A colourful and acrobatic garden favourite across Sussex. Found in almost any habitat with trees and shrubs, especially fond of garden feeders. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Small (11–12 cm) Plumage: Blue, yellow, white, and green Distinctive Marks: Blue cap, white face with black eye stripe Bill: Short and stubby Tail: Short Flight:...
🔍 Overview A small Arctic-breeding swan, seen in Sussex on winter migration. Scarcer than Whooper Swan. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Smaller than Mute Swan Bill: Short yellow patch near the base (rounded compared to Whooper) Other: Neat neck, sociable in flocks 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Occasional at Amberley Wild Brooks, Pulborough Brooks, and Pagham...
🔍 Overview The most familiar gull in Sussex, especially around coastal towns, wetlands, and inland reservoirs. Not truly black-headed – its breeding plumage features a chocolate-brown hood. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (35–39 cm) Plumage: White with grey wings, dark head in summer Distinctive Marks: Red bill and legs, white wing tips Bill: Slim,...
🔍 Overview Ghostly and ethereal, the Barn Owl is one of Sussex’s most iconic nocturnal hunters. Often glimpsed at dusk, silently quartering open fields and meadows. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (33–39 cm)Plumage: Pale buff and whiteDistinctive Marks: Heart-shaped white faceBill: Small, paleTail: Short, paleFlight: Silent and buoyant, with deep, slow wingbeats 🗺️ Habitat...
🔍 Overview A true summer migrant, the Barn Swallow brings the Sussex countryside to life with its graceful flight and cheerful chirping. It nests in barns and outbuildings, often returning to the same spot each year. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Small (17–19 cm) Plumage: Glossy blue-black upperparts, cream underparts Distinctive Marks: Long forked tail...
The Upper Adur Valley extends northward from the A27 flyover in Shoreham to Bramber village, forming a low-lying corridor within the South Downs landscape. The area encompasses a mix of tidal river, floodplain, wet meadows, grazing marsh, reedbeds, and hedgerows shaped by agricultural use and estuarine processes. Habitat Composition Tidal River (River Adur): Meandering watercourse...
