Image Attribution: User:Jerzystrzelecki:Jerzy Strzelecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A tiny Arctic auk that becomes visible off Sussex during strong northerly gales in autumn and winter. 🪶 Key Identification Features Small, plump black-and-white seabird Short neck, stubby bill, fast wingbeats Flies low over the sea, often in ones or twos 🗺️ Habitat...
🔍 Overview Rare vagrant. A coastal auk of northern Britain, Black Guillemots are rare visitors to Sussex, most often seen in winter after storms. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium auk (32 cm) Winter Plumage: White with black wing patch Summer Plumage: Striking black with white wing panel Bill & Legs: Thin bill, red legs...
Image Attribution: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A scarce winter visitor to Sussex, typically seen along the coast. Most sightings involve immatures during colder months. 🪶 Key Identification Features Pale gull with no black in wings Long wings and small, rounded head Immatures: creamy-white plumage, dark eye, pink bill with black...
🔍 Overview A very rare vagrant in Sussex. Once bred on UK coasts, now only occasional passage or storm-blown visitor. 🪶 Key Identification Features Small, pale plover with thin black bill Males: black mask and breast-side patches Long legs, sandy upperparts, white below 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Rarely seen but most likely at Rye Harbour,...
🔍 Overview A striking small grebe, known for its golden ear tufts and jet-black breeding plumage. It is a scarce winter visitor and passage migrant in Sussex, with occasional summering birds. 🪶 Key Identification Features Breeding: black neck and head, golden ear fans Winter: dusky back and flanks, white cheeks Bright red eye and upturned...
🔍 Overview A scarce winter visitor and passage migrant to Sussex waters, mostly offshore. 🪶 Key Identification Features Breeding plumage: rufous neck, black crown Winter: duller with pale cheeks and dusky neck Larger and thicker-necked than other grebes 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Best seen from sea-watching points like Worthing Beaches, Goring Gap, or Brighton Marina...
Image Attribution: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A small North American duck that is a rare but near-annual vagrant to the UK. Sussex has a handful of credible records, mostly in autumn and winter. 🪶 Key Identification Features Males: pale blue forewing and bold white crescent in front...
🔍 Overview Most Barnacle Geese seen in Sussex are feral, but small numbers of wild birds may arrive in winter, particularly in hard weather. 🪶 Key Identification Features Striking black-and-white plumage White face with black breast and neck Compact, goose-shaped body 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Feral birds occur year-round at sites like Arundel WWT or...
🔍 Overview A large, robust gull mainly seen in Sussex in late summer and early autumn, with a few year-round. 🪶 Key Identification Features Grey mantle darker than Herring Gull Yellow legs and red spot on bill Fierce-looking eyes with dark surround 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Most common at Brighton Marina, Shoreham Harbour, Goring Gap,...
🔍 Overview A colourful migrant seen in Sussex mainly on spring and autumn passage, occasionally breeding in lowland wet meadows. 🪶 Key Identification Features Bright yellow underparts Olive-green upperparts Greyish or brownish head depending on race 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Seen in coastal fields, arable land, and around Goring Gap, Upper Adur Valley, and Cissbury...
