In pictures: Rare osprey spotted in Sussex

Jeff was taking pictures at the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in East Sussex on Wednesday. He said: “It was unusual to see a greenshank, but there were three, along with a common sandpiper, but the star of the show, and a first for me, was the osprey.

Ospreys are a bird of prey that feeds on fish. Ospreys breed in Northern Britain and mostly Northern Europe and most migrate south to below equatorial Africa each Autumn. They are not a common sight in Sussex but each year some pass through our county and can be seen along rivers and reservoirs. They are similar in size to a buzzard.

There was a reported sighting of an osprey on the River Ouse at South Ease, in 2015 and another of ospreys at Arlington reservoir, near Eastbourne, in 2012.

The osprey is listed on the Amber List of UK birds of conservation concern because of the long-term population decline and since it is a rare breeding bird in the UK.

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