🔍 Overview A diving duck, the Pochard is a regular winter visitor to Sussex lakes and gravel pits. Males are handsome with a rusty head and striking grey body. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (42–49 cm)Plumage: Males: grey with chestnut head; females: brownDistinctive Marks: Rounded head, red eyes (male)Bill: Dark with pale bandTail: ShortFlight:...
🔍 Overview Britain’s heaviest duck, more common in northern UK but occasionally seen off Sussex coasts. Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant; very scarce non-breeder in summer. 🪶 Key Identification Features Male: Bold black and white plumage with green nape Female: Mottled brown, heavy build Other: Long, sloping bill 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Infrequent offshore...
🔍 Overview Once rare, now a regular and expanding presence in Sussex, especially during winter. It is an increasing visitor and bred for the first time in 2020. 🪶 Key Identification Features Winter: White plumage, short yellow bill Breeding: Buff patches on head, chest, and back Other: Smaller and stockier than Little Egret 🗺️ Habitat...
🔍 Overview Small and dark, the Brent Goose is a winter visitor to Sussex’s coastal mudflats. Most common from October to March, often in large flocks feeding on eelgrass and saltmarsh. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Small goose (55–61 cm)Plumage: Dark brown body with pale underpartsDistinctive Marks: Neat white neck patch (not always visible), white...
🔍 Overview Elegant and long-legged, the Black-tailed Godwit is a regular visitor to Sussex wetlands. Numbers peak during passage and winter, with flocks frequenting Pulborough Brooks and Adur Valley. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Large wader (40–44 cm)Plumage: Grey in winter; rich orange and patterned in breeding seasonDistinctive Marks: Bold black tail, white wing barBill:...
🔍 Overview A graceful marsh tern seen on migration in spring and autumn. Not a regular breeder in the UK. 🪶 Key Identification Features Breeding: Smoky-black body, grey wings Non-breeding: Pale grey above, white below, dusky breast sides Other: Slender, buoyant flyer 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Passes through Sussex during April–May and August–October. Look for...
🔍 Overview Delicate and graceful, the Arctic Tern is a long-distance migrant famous for its epic pole-to-pole journey. Every year, Arctic Terns migrate from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle—a round-trip journey of about 30,000 kilometers. It is known as the ‘sea swallow’ because of its long tail streamers. In Sussex, it’s mainly seen...
🔍 Overview Fairly common winter visitor and passage migrant. Elegant and slender, the Bar-tailed Godwit is a regular passage and winter visitor to Sussex’s coastal mudflats, especially around Goring Gap, Widewater, Worthing Beaches and Lower Adur Valley. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Large wader (37–41 cm)Plumage: Warm brown and buff; breeding males show rich chestnut underpartsDistinctive...
