🔍 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...
🔍 Overview Rare passage migrant; formerly bred. A shy and elusive rail, the Corncrake is mostly extinct as a breeder in England, but rare passage birds occasionally turn up in Sussex during spring or autumn. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Similar to a Moorhen (27–30 cm) Plumage: Buff-brown with darker streaks; greyish face and...
🔍 Overview A North American species introduced to the UK, now nearly eradicated due to a control programme. Rare in Sussex today. 🪶 Key Identification Features Male: Chestnut body, sky-blue bill, stiff tail often held upright Female: Brown with dark cap and pale face Size: Small diving duck (35–43 cm) 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Formerly...
🔍 Overview A scarce winter visitor to Sussex, more regular in northern England but occasionally recorded in the south. 🪶 Key Identification Features Large white swan with long neck Yellow and black bill (yellow extends beyond nostrils) Loud, bugling call 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Occasionally seen at Amberley Wild Brooks, Pulborough, or Arlington Reservoir in...
🔍 Overview A rare but locally breeding songbird of open heath and forestry rides in Sussex. Scarce resident and very scarce passage migrant. 🪶 Key Identification Features Short tail, broad wings White supercilium curving behind the head Buff with dark streaks 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Nesting pairs found in Ashdown Forest, The Mens, and Broadwater...
🔍 Overview Britain’s largest bird of prey, occasionally spotted in Sussex skies thanks to reintroduction programs on the Isle of Wight. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Huge (wingspan up to 2.4 m) Plumage: Brown overall with paler head and neck Tail: Adults have white tail Bill: Large and hooked 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Rare visitor...
🔍 Overview A secretive marsh bird heard more often than seen, found in reedbeds and wetland edges. 🪶 Key Identification Features Grey face and underparts Brown back with black streaking Long red bill and spidery toes 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Resident at Brooklands, Woods Mill, Arundel WWT, Pulborough Brooks, and Lancing Beach and Widewater. Can...
🔍 Overview A bulky sea duck seen off the Sussex coast in winter, usually among flocks of Common Scoter. Scarce passage migrant and winter visitor along the coast; rare inland. 🪶 Key Identification Features All-black plumage (male) Distinct white wing flashes in flight Female duller brown with faint face patches 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Best...
🔍 Overview A sleek wader often found in Sussex on passage and in small numbers in winter. Scarce passage migrant and very scarce winter visitor. 🪶 Key Identification Features Longer-legged and slimmer than Redshank Straight, slightly upturned bill Grey in winter; black with white spots in breeding plumage 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Most regular at...
🔍 Overview A hardy, Arctic-breeding bunting that winters in small flocks on open coastal ground. Scarce passage migrant and winter visitor. 🪶 Key Identification Features White and chestnut plumage in winter Flashy white wings in flight Male is strikingly white and black in breeding plumage (not seen here) 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Seen from October...
