A study of the birds of Sussex is a most instructive and fascinating subject. 

 

The county is well to the fore in its list of bird records: over 400 species have in course of time been recorded. There are, alas, no longer any records of recent date of the 'white-tailed eagle' having been seen; the 'osprey' also seems to have departed from us.

 

'Peregrine falcons' still frequent Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters. The 'hobby' in the summer, and the 'merlin' in the winter, favour us at times with their presence. Sussex is fortunate in that many lines of migrations from the South cut across the Channel and the coast and pass through the county.

 

 

This affords rare opportunities to bird-watchers and recorders. Since bird-netting and trapping and fowling have been made illegal, reports of rare wanderers are less frequent than in the seventies, eighties, and early nineties of last century.

 

After heavy early winter gales and early severe frosts, the Sussex beaches and coastline are littered with countless frail bodies of our feathered friends who deferred, until too late, their return journey to the sunny warm climes from which they ventured to migrate here.

 

Many sea-birds breed in the cliffs, and the shore waters often provide extremely interesting records for bird-watchers armed with a good pair of field glasses or telescope. The 'glaucus gull' is a not unknown sight in the winter months. The gulls usually to be seen include the 'black-headed' and 'common gulls', also 'herring' and 'greater black-backed gulls'; the 'guillemot' and 'kittiwake' are in less numbers.  

 

 

The 'cormorant' can be seen at times near Birling Gap. It is on the flatter stretches of the coast and the saltings where birds may best be observed; there are excellent stations from which to record the 'whimbrel', the 'oyster-catcher', locally known as the 'titterel', also many species of 'plovers' and 'terns'.

 

These birds make the beaches their habitat in the breeding season. Pevensey littoral is especially frequented by 'terns'. The geographical position of Sussex favours our migrant visitors, especially those which choose a short sea passage during their migrant flight.

The downs and cliffs, both in spring and autumn, provide welcome resting-places for these birds on their outward and return southerly journeys. The Adur and Ouse valleys, Seven Sisters, Birling Gap, and Shoreham and Pagham Harbours are good observation stations, to which should also be added the saltings near Seaford and Hastings.

The beautiful ' golden oriole' no longer nests near Henfield; it is still seen in the Weald from time to time, as is also the ' fire-crested wren'. The various species of ' wagtails' still visit us. The ' heronry' still exists in Parham Park.

Below is a selection of resident and migrant birds which an average bird-watcher could expect to see at the appropriate seasons.

 

Residents.

 

Peregrine-falcon, sparrow-hawk, kestrel, little owl, green woodpecker, kingfisher, mallard, long-tailed tit, dabchick, moorhen, coot, water-rail, heron, carrion-crow, rook, jackdaw, jay, magpie, starling, greater black-backed gull, herring-gull, black-headed gull, common gull, oystercatcher, redshank, lapwing, ringed plover, dunlin, pied wagtail, yellow wagtail, pochard, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, marsh tit, willow tit, goldcrest wren, missel thrush, song thrush, blackbird, fieldfare, robin, house sparrow, hedge sparrow, tree sparrow, tree creeper, stone chat, linnet, chaffinch, bullfinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, wood pigeon, rock dove, stock dove, yellow hammer, reed bunting, skylark, crested lark, cormorant, guillemot, razor bill, storm petrel, mute swan, English partridge, French partridge, English pheasant, ringed variety of pheasant, and the Japanese green variety, now quite wild; also the consequent cross-bred hybrids.

Migrants.

 

Included in our selection are lesser blackbacked gull, whimbrel, common sandpiper, knot, sanderling, wheatear, black redstart, turtle dove, corn bunting, swift, swallow, house martin, sand martin, greater whitethroat, garden warbler, willow warbler, wood warbler, chiffchaff, sisken, meadow pipit, and, of course, the parasitical predator, the cuckoo.

 

The above is by no means a full list.

The Booth Museum in the Dyke Road, Brighton, in addition to possessing the world-famous collection of British birds, formed by the late E. T. Booth, has also massive collections of world butterflies and noteworthy collections of birds' eggs

 

 

 

 

 

 

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