Otter

Lutra lutra

Family: Mustelidae

Habitat: Coastal, lakes and reservoirs, ponds, rivers and streams, beaches and shorelines and estuaries.

Size: Length 57-95 cm (22.5-37.5 in).

Food: Mainly fish also insects, birds, frogs, crustaceans, small mammals.

Season: All year round. Resident.

IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened

Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Family: Alcedinidae (Kingfishers)

Habitat: Lakes and reservoirs, ponds, rivers and streams, estuaries, chalk streams, reedbeds and upland flushes, fens and swamps.

Size: Length 16 centimetres (6.3 in). Wingspan 25 cm (9.8 in).

Food: Fish and aquatic insects.

Voice: Very distinctive high-pitched whistles of tzee or tzee-tee.

Season: All year round. All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Flight is fast, direct and usually low over water.

Wigeon

Anas penelope

Family: Anatidae (Swans, ducks and geese)

Habitat: Lakes and reservoirs, marsh, wetlands and freshwaters and estuaries.

Food: Aquatic plants, grasses, roots.

Voice: ♂ pjiew pjiew. ♀ growling rawr.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A dabbling duck that nests on the ground, near water and under cover.

Oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus

Family: Haematopodidae

Habitat: Coastal, lakes and reservoirs, meadows, rivers and streams, wetlands and freshwaters and estuaries.

Size: Length 40-45 cm (16-18 in). Wingspan 80-85 cm (31-33 in).

Food: Mussels, cockles and worms.

Voice: High pitched kleep.

Season: All year round.

A wading bird that eats muscles and cockles on the coast and mainly worms inland.

Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Family: Procellariidae (Shearwaters and allies)

Habitat: Sea cliffs.

Size: Length 46 cm (18 in). Wingspan 102-112 cm (40-44 in).

Food: Shrimp, fish, squid, plankton, jellyfish, carrion and crustaceans.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

Family: Falconidae (Falcons and allies)

Habitat: Farmland, woodland, grassland and heathland.

Size: Length 32-39 cm (13-15 in). Wingspan 65-82 cm (26-32 in).

Food: Small mammals and birds.

Voice: Piercing Kee-kee-kee.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Kestrels hover at a height of about 10-20 metres either by flying into the wind or by soaring using ridge lift before swooping down on their prey.

Red Kite

Milvus milvus

Family: Accipitridae (Hawks and eagles)

Habitat: Farmland, woodland, grassland and gardens and parks.

Size: Length 60-70 cm (24-28 in). Wingspan 175-179 cm (69-70 in).

Food: Small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, young hares, rabbits, carrion, reptiles, amphibians and earthworms.

Voice: A very distinctive and memorable pipe whistle rising and falling in pitch: peee-ooo, pee-oo-ee-oo-ee-oo.

Season: All year round. All year round.

Soaring and gliding flight, continually turning its long-forked tail.

Buzzard

Buteo buteo

Family: Accipitridae (Hawks and eagles)

Habitat: Coastal, farmland, grassland, heathland and woodland.

Size: Length 40-58 cm (16-23 in). Wingspan 109-136 cm (43-54 in).

Food: Small mammals, birds, carrion, earthworms and large insects.

Voice: Cat like mewing.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Takes off with distinctive slow wing beats, often circling or hovering. Frequently uses fence posts or similar as look-outs.

Linnet

Carduelis cannabina

Family: Fringillidae (Finches)

Habitat: Gardens and parks, grasslands, heathlands, coastal grazing marsh, hedgerows and mixed scrub.

Food: Seeds from most arable weeds and insects.

Voice: Melodious song with fast trills and twitters.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

It has an undulating flight and can form large flocks outside the breeding season.

Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella

Family: Emberizidae (Buntings)

Habitat: Grasslands, heathlands, hedgerows and scrub.

Size: Length 16-16.5 cm (6.3-6.5 in).Wingspan 23-29.5 cm (9.1-11.6 in).

Food: Seeds and insects.

Voice: Twick call and tzee-tzee-tzee-tzooo.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Rapid population decline has lead to a red status in the UK.

Skylark

Alauda arvensis

Family: Alaudidae (Larks)

Habitat: Farmland, grasslands, heathlands and woodland.

Size: Length 16-18 cm (6.3-7.1 in).

Food: Seeds and insects.

Voice: Musical chirrup, prriee and prreet often mimics other birds.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Often hovers or circles while singing.

Stonechat

Saxicola rubicola

Family: Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers)

Habitat: Coastal, heathlands and coniferous woods.

Food: Invertebrates, seeds and fruit such as blackberries.

Voice: Weest tack tack and warble song.

Season: All year round. All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Family: Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers)

Habitat: Grasslands, heathlands and beaches and shorelines.

Food: Insects and larvae.

Voice: Call: chack. Song: crackly whistle.

Season: Early March to late October.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Corn Bunting

Emberiza calandra

Family: Emberizidae (Buntings)

Habitat: Farmland.

Size: Length 16-19 cm.

Food: Seeds and insects.

Voice: Repetitive sound similar to jangling keys.

Season: All year round.

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Adonis Blue

Polyommatus bellargus

Family: Lycaenidae (Blue)

Habitat: Lowland calcareous grassland.

Size: Length 17 mm (0.7 in).

Food: Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa).

Flight: Early May to late September.

Females are chocolate brown. Both male and female have black and white borders.

Marbled White

Melanargia galathea

Family: Nymphalidae (Brush-footed)

Habitat: Grasslands, woodland and arable field margins.

Size: Length 22-28 mm (0.9-1.1 in).

Food: Grasses (larva). Thistles, Knapweeds, Clovers, Marjoram, Thyme and Yarrow (adult).

Flight: Early June to late August.

Winter is passed as a small lime-green caterpillar.

Common Blue

Polyommatus icarus

Family: Lycaenidae (Blue)

Habitat: Farmland, gardens and parks, grassland, heathland, meadows and orchards.

Size: Length 17 mm (0.7 in). Wingspan 29-36 mm (1.1-1.4 in).

Food: Common bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and other legumes.

Flight: Early April to late October.

Females are dark brown with bright orange spots near the wing tips. Both male and female have black and white borders.

Chalkhill Blue

Polyommatus coridon

Family: Lycaenidae (Blue)

Habitat: Lowland calcareous grassland.

Size: Length 18 mm (0.7 in). Wingspan 33-40 mm (1.3- 1.6 in).

Food: Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa).

Flight: Early July to late September.

Females are dark brown. Both male and female have black and white borders.

Bee Orchid

Ophrys apifera

Family: Orchidaceae (Orchids)

Habitat: Meadows, lowland calcareous grassland and woodland clearings and edges.

Size: Height 15-50 cm (6-20 in).

Flowering Period: Early June to late July.

This is the only species of the genus Ophrys that prefers self pollination.

Unusually they can appear in great numbers after an absence of many years.

Pyramidal Orchid

Anacamptis pyramidalis

Family: Orchidaceae (Orchids)

Habitat: Meadows, grassland and lowland calcareous grassland.

Size: Height 15-60 cm (6-23.6 in).

Flowering Period: Early June to late July.

Scent: Sweet.

Pollinated by moths and butterflies.

Ash

Fraxinus excelsior

Family: Oleaceae

Habitat: Gardens and parks, woodland, lowland mixed deciduous, wood-pasture and parkland and deciduous woods.

Size: Height 12-43 m (39-141 ft). Leaf length 20-35 cm (7.9-13.8 in).

Flowering Period: All year round.

Some ash trees live for over 250 years.

Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, has caused the widespread death of ash trees. 130 million trees in the UK are under threat.

Several Lepidoptera use the species as a food source including dingy skipper, duke of burgundy, grayling, high brown fritillary, northern brown argus, pearl-bordered fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary and white-letter hairstreak.

Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna

Family: Rosaceae

Habitat: Woodland, hedgerows and mixed scrub.

Size: Height 18 m.

Flowering Period: All year round. Flowers May.

The hawthorn, may-tree or quickthorn provides a habitat for over 300 insects including the caterpillars of moths such as the hawthorn, orchard ermine, pear leaf blister, rhomboid tortrix, light emerald, lackey, vapourer, fruitlet mining tortrix, small eggar and lappet moths. Its flowers are eaten by dormice and provide nectar. The haws (berries) are eaten by birds (redwings, fieldfares, thrushes, etc.) and small mammals.

Horseshoe Vetch

Hippocrepis comosa

Family: Leguminosae

Habitat: Lowland calcareous grassland.

Size: Height 10 cm (4 in).

Pollinator: Insects especially bees (including Osmia xanthomelana), butterflies and moths.

Scent: Highly scented.

Flowering Period: Early May to early June.

Common Spotted Orchid

Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Family: Orchidaceae (Orchids)

Habitat: Gardens and parks, marsh, meadows, woodland, sand dunes and hedgerows.

Size: Height 15 to 60 cm.

Flowering Period: Early July to late August.

Very variable plant height andflower colour, morphology and scent.

The flower colour varies from white to pale purple with purple spots, a symmetrical pattern of dark purple loops or dots and dashes.

Round-headed Rampion or Pride of Sussex

Phyteuma orbiculare

Family: Campanulaceae

Habitat: Lowland calcareous grassland and upland calcareous grassland.

Flowering Period: Early July to late August.

The county flower of Sussex, England. Interestingly, each head, is nota single bloom but a huddled collection of smaller blooms.

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil

Lotus corniculatus

Family: Fabaceae

Habitat: Grasslands.

Size: Length 5-50 cm.

Flowering Period: All year round.

Grown for pasture, hay, and silage.

An important nectar source for many insects and is also used as a larval food plant by many species of Lepidoptera such as six-spot burnet.

Cowslip

Primula veris

Family: Primulaceae

Habitat: Gardens and parks, grasslands and woodland.

Size: Height 25 cm (10 in).

Flowering Period: All year round.

Other names include cowslip primrose, cuy lippe, herb peter, paigle, peggle, key flower, key of heaven, fairy cups, petty mulleins, crewel, buckles, palsywort, and plumrocks.

The flowers cluster 10-30 blooms on a single stem