Whinchat

🔍 Overview
A charming migrant seen in Sussex during spring and autumn passage. Prefers rough fields and heathland edges. Rare summer visitor; last bred in 1999. Very rare in winter.

🪶 Key Identification Features

• Size: Small (13–14 cm)

• Plumage: Males orange-breasted with pale supercilium

• Distinctive Marks: Bold white eye stripe, pale throat

• Bill: Short and thin

• Tail: Dark with white sides

• Flight: Flitty and upright

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution
Passes through Sussex in April–May and August–September. Breeds further north. Look for them at Cissbury, Sheepcote Valley, Goring Gap and Hollingbury Hill

🎶 Voice & Behaviour
Thin calls and quiet song. Often perches on small shrubs or posts.

🍴 Diet
Mainly insects and larvae.

📸 Birding Tip
Watch hedgerows and weedy margins during spring migration, particularly on the Downs.