🔍 Overview The Razorbill is a chunky seabird seen off Sussex in winter or during migration. Related to puffins and guillemots. Common winter visitor and fairly common passage migrant; last bred in 1878. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium auk (37–39 cm)Plumage: Black above, white belowDistinctive Marks: Thick black bill with white lineBill: Stubby and deepTail:...
🔍 Overview A powerful seabird seen offshore during migration. Rare but regular in Sussex seawatches. Passage migrant in variable numbers in spring; usually scarce; very scarce in autumn; rare in winter. 🪶 Key Identification Features Bulky skua with two twisted tail feathers in adults Pale, dark, or intermediate plumages Barrel-chested and aggressive 🗺️ Habitat &...
The Pintail is a sleek and elegant winter duck in Sussex, known for its long tail and graceful posture. A regular visitor to floodplains and estuaries. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Large (55–65 cm)Plumage: Chocolate-brown head (male), pale grey body, long tailDistinctive Marks: Needle-like tail, white neck stripeBill: Blue-greyTail: Long and pointed in malesFlight: Smooth and...
🔍 Overview Common resident; passage migrant and winter visitor. A highly mobile black-and-white bird with a constantly bobbing tail, common across Sussex towns and countryside. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Small (18 cm) Plumage: Black back and bib, white face, grey wings Tail: Long and always wagging Flight: Quick and bounding 🗺️ Habitat &...
📍 Local Expert Tip “The Oystercatcher is a distinctive and noisy local resident which is adapting to man by breeding on flat roofs close to the river such as at Ricardo’s factory, on the airfield and even on apartment block roofs in Shoreham town centre.” 🔍 Overview Bold, black-and-white with a vivid orange bill, the...
📍 Local Expert Tip “The Wheatear is a a regular passage migrant in Spring and Autumn. Shoreham Fort often records the first birds heading north in Spring from mid-March but can be found anywhere along the coast. Regularly seen during Autumn migration in the Downs along the Monarch’s Way footpath, Truleigh Hill, Cissbury Ring etc.” 🔍...
📍 Local Expert Tip “The Mediterranean Gull is a species undergoing a dramatic range expansion and now breeds in Sussex although not in the local area. However, in Spring the high tide gull roost at Goring Gap often contains Mediterranean Gulls of various ages allowing good views.” 🔍 Overview A once-rare visitor now increasingly common in...
🔍 Overview A familiar black-and-white bird in Sussex gardens and fields, with a reputation for intelligence and bold behaviour. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium-large (44–46 cm) Plumage: Black and white with iridescent green and blue wing and tail sheen Bill: Large and strong Tail: Long and wedge-shaped Flight: Steady, fluttery with long glides 🗺️...
Image Attribution: El Golli Mohamed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A summer breeder on Sussex’s shingle beaches, the Little Tern is small, agile, and highly vocal. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Very small tern (22–24 cm)Plumage: Pale grey above, white belowDistinctive Marks: White forehead patch, yellow bill with black tipBill: Slender and pointedTail:...
Image Attribution: El Golli Mohamed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A tiny Arctic-breeding wader seen on passage, especially in autumn. One of the smallest shorebirds in Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Small, delicate wader with fine bill and short legs Sandy brown above, white below Juveniles show neat scaly pattern 🗺️ Habitat...
