Image Attribution: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A scarce winter visitor to Sussex seas. Less frequently recorded than Red-throated Diver, but regular offshore. 🪶 Key Identification Features Winter: Sleek grey head, dark back, clean white underparts Breeding: Striking black throat, white-striped sides Size: Larger than a gull,...
🔍 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 reedbed specialist with a misleading name—more closely related to larks than tits. A scarce breeder and winter visitor in Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Male: Ginger body, black “moustache,” blue-grey head Female: Warmer brown, lacks facial markings Other: Long tail, bouncing flight, constant tail-flicking 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Resident in large reedbeds...
🔍 Overview Striking and elegant, the Avocet is a rare but iconic wader in Sussex, most commonly spotted at coastal wetlands and saltmarshes. With its upturned bill and bold black-and-white plumage, it’s a conservation success story in the UK. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (43–45 cm) Plumage: Clean black and white Distinctive Marks: Black...
