🔍 Overview A charming, stocky owl introduced to Britain in the 19th century. Now widespread in Sussex farmland and parkland. 🪶 Key Identification Features Small, rounded body Yellow eyes with expressive white eyebrows Short tail, direct flight 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Favors open countryside with trees, barns, or old orchards. Seen in Upper Adur Valley,...
🔍 Overview A powerful gull with dark slate-grey back, the Lesser Black-backed Gull winters along Sussex coast and inland waters. Scarce breeder. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Large gull (55–60 cm)Plumage: White body; dark grey backDistinctive Marks: Yellow legs, white headBill: Yellow with red spotTail: White with dark bandFlight: Strong, steady glides 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution...
🔍 Overview Common but decreasing resident and partial migrant. A finch of open countryside and coastal scrub, Linnets are declining in parts of Sussex but remain in farmland and heathlands. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Small (13–14 cm) Male Plumage: Grey head, red breast and forehead in breeding season Female/Non-breeding: Plain brown Bill: Slim...
🔍 Overview Now a familiar sight across Sussex wetlands. First bred in the UK in the 1990s and has spread rapidly. 🪶 Key Identification Features All white plumage Long black bill, black legs, yellow feet Elegant and slender with neck held in an “S” shape 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Widespread at Adur Valley, Widewater, Goring...
🔍 Overview A familiar falcon, the Kestrel hovers vigilantly over Sussex fields and roadsides, searching for small prey. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium raptor (34–38 cm)Plumage: Reddish-brown back, grey head (male)Distinctive Marks: Hovering behaviourBill: HookedTail: Long, fannedFlight: Stays stationary in wind 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Open farmland, roadside verges, heathland — look near Cissbury Ring...
🔍 Overview A flash of electric blue by Sussex waters — the Kingfisher is small but striking, and the emblem of healthy rivers. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Tiny (16–17 cm)Plumage: Bright blue back, orange underpartsDistinctive Marks: Large head, dagger billBill: Long and blackTail: Short and squareFlight: Fast, direct, just above water 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution...
🔍 Overview A delicate, cliff-loving gull, the Kittiwake may be seen from Sussex headlands during passage or following ships. Common but very localised breeding species; fairly common or common winter visitor and passage migrant. Rare away from coast. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (37–40 cm)Plumage: White with grey wings and dark wingtipsDistinctive Marks: Thin, forked...
🔍 Overview A gorgeous winter wader, the Knot in plumage can appear almost white or deep cinnamon in spring plumage along coastlines. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Stocky wader (23–26 cm)Plumage: Mottled grey/white, red-brown breeding plumageDistinctive Marks: Short, straight billBill: Short and straightTail: Short and roundFlight: Barking calls in low flocks 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Wintering...
📍 Local Expert Tip “The Lapwing is a regular but much declined winter visitor. The island by the Toll Bridge is a regular feeding area. At high tide, birds roost on the airfield but easily disturbed.” 🔍 Overview A dramatic and beloved farmland wader, the Lapwing is iconic in Sussex with its crest and acrobatic displays....
Image Attribution: Dûrzan cîrano, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons 🔍 Overview A tiny, elusive wader best known for its bobbing motion and preference for wet, boggy ground. Winter visitor to Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Smaller and more compact than Common Snipe Shorter bill and more cryptic plumage Subtle golden stripes on back 🗺️...
