🔍 Overview A stunning scarce winter visitor, usually seen among flocks of Brent or Barnacle Geese. Some may be of captive origin. 🪶 Key Identification Features Compact goose with bold black, white, and red plumage Red face and breast bordered with white Small bill, fast flight 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Occasionally recorded at Pagham Harbour,...
🔍 Overview Powerful and agile, the Arctic Skua is a pirate of the skies, best known in Sussex as a scarce but thrilling passage migrant. Fairly common spring and scarce autumn passage migrant; very scarce in summer and rare in winter. Most sightings occur along the coast, when they chase other seabirds to steal food...
🔍 Overview A once-regular migrant now much rarer in the UK. Occasionally reaches Sussex on autumn passage. 🪶 Key Identification Features Olive-grey head, yellow throat Pink bill and legs Warm brown upperparts 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Best chance is coastal farmland or clifftop fields around Beachy Head or Pagham in late August to early October....
🔍 Overview The Cirl Bunting is a rare and localised breeding bird in the UK, mainly found in south Devon. In Sussex, it remains a very rare visitor, with only a handful of modern records, typically of wandering birds or possible overshoots from the west. There has been a record of one in the Southwick...
🔍 Overview A rare winter vagrant from northeast Europe and Asia, Little Bunting is most likely in late autumn or winter in Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Smaller than a Chaffinch (12.5 cm) Plumage: Warm brown with fine streaks Face: Chestnut ear coverts, white eye-ring, thin dark moustache Tail: Short, notched 🗺️ Habitat &...
🔍 Overview A rare but regular vagrant to the UK from eastern Europe, often after easterly winds in autumn. 🪶 Key Identification Features Males: chestnut ear coverts, black bib, white belly Females/immatures: duller but still well-marked Streaked brown upperparts, strong face pattern 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Favour coastal scrub, reedbeds, or weedy margins, especially around...
🔍 Overview A colourful and extremely rare visitor to Sussex from south-eastern Europe and Asia, with very few UK records. 🪶 Key Identification Features Bright yellow body, black head (male) Large pink bill Female duller, more streaked 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Any record would be exceptional. Likely to turn up at coastal headlands like Beachy...
🔍 Overview A tiny continental finch seen as a rare spring overshoot in Sussex, particularly in coastal locations. 🪶 Key Identification Features Very small, streaky yellow-green finch Males: bright yellow face and breast Stubby bill, fluttery flight 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Look for in coastal bushes, parkland, or plantation edges, especially at Beachy Head or...
🔍 Overview A scarce winter visitor and passage migrant, typically associated with coastal grasslands and fields. 🪶 Key Identification Features Streaky brown body Blackish crown and bib (in breeding plumage) White outer tail feathers and chestnut nape 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Best looked for in stubble fields or coastal rough ground around Beachy Head, Seaford,...
🔍 Overview A very rare vagrant, mainly from southern Europe. Just a few historic records in Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Grey head with black-and-white facial stripes Warm chestnut underparts Rufous rump and brown-streaked back 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution If seen, likely in chalk grassland or rocky coastal valleys like Beachy Head or Birling Gap,...
