🔍 Overview Very scarce visitor; most frequently recorded in spring. Famous auk species that breeds in the UK but only seen in Sussex during offshore passage or after storms. 🪶 Key Identification Features Black upperparts, white underparts Bright orange legs and colourful bill Rounded head and short neck 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Rarely seen from...
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...
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...
Image Attribution: Sowls, Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A large Arctic gull that appears along the Sussex coast in small numbers during late winter. 🪶 Key Identification Features Very large and bulky; pale grey back Adults: white wing tips (no black) Juveniles: uniformly pale biscuit-brown with pale bill base 🗺️ Habitat &...
Image Attribution: Peterwchen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A rare vagrant from North America, with a few well-documented Sussex records, especially after Atlantic storms. 🪶 Key Identification Features Medium-sized gull with long wings Adult: black hood, white eye arcs, dark red bill Immature: dark tail band and dusky plumage 🗺️ Habitat &...
🔍 Overview A beautiful and rare pelagic gull, most often seen off Sussex during strong westerly gales in autumn. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Slightly smaller than Black-headed Gull (27–33 cm) Adult: Black cap, grey nape, white head, and striking tri-coloured wings Juvenile: Similar but browner with dark W-pattern on wings 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution...
🔍 Overview A rare and elusive visitor to Sussex. Sometimes appears in late summer or autumn, favouring shallow reed-fringed pools. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Between a Snipe and a Moorhen (19–22 cm) Plumage: Brown with white spots, blue-grey face, yellow bill with red base Other: Short tail, barred flanks 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Occasionally...
🔍 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 slim, green-glossed seabird often confused with the Cormorant, but favouring rockier coastal habitats. Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant; rare away from coast. 🪶 Key Identification Features Slender with a long, thin bill Dark green sheen Crest visible in breeding adults 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Regular off Brighton Marina, Worthing Beaches, and...
