Sussex Wildlife Trust

Frog's head at the waterline, golden eyes above the surface with a mirrored reflection beneath.

Frog head peeking above a pond's surface near vertical reeds, eyes and reflection visible.

frog head floating at the water’s surface with a sharp eye and mirrored reflection.

Well, hello there spring watchers! The Frogs are spawning. Fab pics by Glynn Rubidge

Each winter evening at dusk, magic happens in the sky - watch our film on Brighton's epic Starling murmurations 🐦‍⬛

https://f.mtr.cool/gziscljcne

🎥© Kerry Williams & Kai Hilton
📷© Kai Hilton

Small brown Dartford Warbler with grey head and orange legs perched on thorny bramble branches.

From Barry Yates - "At least 2 Dartford Warblers in Brambles at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, finding lots of food in the warm sunshine, hidden or obscured by twigs for 99% of the time!"  Dartford Warblers need Gorse for surviving cold winters. They only eat insects & don't migrate in winter.

Promotional image for Channel 4 show Dirty Business. Two men in waders standing waist-deep in water examining a device; family on shore and dead fish visible underwater.

Watched Dirty Business? Feeling despair, fury, frustration and outrage? You are not alone.

A new water law is coming. Let your MP know that it must have teeth. 

https://f.mtr.cool/aoypesazoq

Image © Dirty Business / Channel 4

Happy World Book Day!

Why not take a moment today to digital detox? Get outside in this welcome weather, sit with the sounds of nature, and get stuck into a real life analogue book 📚📖 

📷Blue Tit © Alan Price

Yellow as brimstone - flying in the sun they can look very bright

Leaf-shaped pale yellow Brimstone butterfly with a small brown spot, wings closed, perched on a thorny brown stem.

Blue skies and warm sunshine in March means Brimstones, one of our earliest butterflies. 

Seen at our Southerham Farm Nature Reserve today, and no doubt lots of other places. Have you seen a Brimstone yet? 

#ukspring

📷 © Bob Eade

Absolutely not getting those little feet wet under any circumstances! 👣

🎥Dunlin © Kai Hilton

Beautiful

Feather detail of black birds can be difficult to capture, but this Coot was taken with cloud diffused light.
It fits today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #PerfectLighting

Five people in green reflective vests smiling in front of a small blue shed labeled "Eco Hut".

Smiling man in a green shirt and cap standing outdoors in a cleared, wooded nature reserve with trees and a white mill house in the background.

Smiling woman in a gray beanie and dark jacket standing in Woods Mill nature reserve with ivy-covered trees behind her.

Smiling woman in a navy coat and plaid scarf standing in a sunlit, leafless woodland at Woods Mill with a white mill house visible in the background.

Meet some of our team of wonderful volunteer Woods Mill Wardens, keeping a regular eye out for what's happening on the reserve. Do give them a wave if you see them on patrol! https://f.mtr.cool/kwwmvcgmge

Smiling person wearing glasses and bright green gardening gloves holds a muddy glove with a small earthworm.

Group of six people in woodland installing and inspecting a wooden bird box on a tree, one person taking notes.

Carpet of white snowdrops covering a grassy woodland floor, green leaves and a few blurred yellow daffodils in the background.

The Youth Rangers had a great session at our youth-led urban nature reserve The Deneway recently. They may have discovered something rather exciting! Words & photos by Youth Action Officer Katie Bell
https://f.mtr.cool/rowczcwlmm

Two large white and yellow star-shaped flowers and green lobed leaves.

The Wood Anemones down the lane are flowering a fortnight earlier than last year. Feels too soon and too fast. Still, better enjoy it 🤍.
#UKwildlife
#Sussexwildlife
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social
@sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Well-camouflaged brown mottled bird a Woodcock resting among leaf litter and undergrowth, one eye visible

Lifer for Barry Clough: "I've seen Woodcock roding, silhouettes against a darkening sky, but at Pulborough I was steered towards a resting bird hidden deep in the undergrowth by helpful fellow birder, Gary. Photo is heavily cropped, I was never anywhere near the bird!"

Things we saw this week on rainy days:

🐝One of our first bees of the year
🌱Early spring flowers starting to bloom
🪱Gulls paddling the wet ground for worms

No matter how grey February can be, there is always something to see. 

📷Daffodils © Nigel Symington

Go the whole frog - it's FREEPOST all weekend at our eco-fashion store. 🐸

Hoodies, T-shirts, notebooks, tote bags, puzzles, stickers and more... Visit: https://f.mtr.cool/ofiyagzdlz

Free postage is available on all UK orders until midnight on Sunday 1 March 2026

Juvenile Tawny Owl

stream with white wood anemones

Older man smiling outdoors wearing a SWT baseball cap, glasses and layered jacket, standing in front of dense ivy.

Meet Norman Ray, long-time Trust volunteer, who has recently taken on the role of Woods Mill Walk Leader https://f.mtr.cool/mhexuetexg
📸Sam Roberts, James Duncan, Emma Chaplin

Fourteen projects shortlisted for RIBA South East Awards 2026 Find out which projects have been shortlisted for the RIBA South East Awards 2026

The Discovery Centre at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve has been shortlisted for a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) South East awards 2026. 

Don't trust the temperatures, trust the Avocets #ukspring #breeding #waders

Two red Fox cubs facing each other on sunlit grass beside a tree stump.

Three Tawny Owls perched on a tree branch at night with a full moon; centre owl alert, others resting.

We caught up with Trustee Danny Harvey who has had seen exotic wildlife around the world, but now she's back working in the UK, is thrilled to spot a Fox, or hear Tawny Owls
📸Graham Franks Darin Smith Dennis Hunt

https://f.mtr.cool/sdvcvttaaz

With February comes an amphibian awakening. After a winter in hibernation, frogs, toads and newts re-emerge. You may have already noticed spawn appearing. But who left it there?

Read our blog and froggy FAQs: https://f.mtr.cool/tdczhhspfl

📷Common Frog ©Luke Massey

Blue-and-yellow Blue Tit mid-flight, wings fully spread as it lifts off a thin branch among blurred twigs.

I think this Blue Tit says it for all of us - welcome sunshine! (Yes, we know it's false spring, but the sun is still LOVELY). 📸 Richard Illingworth

Person in a hat and boots using an orange bow saw to cut small trees and holly in a woodland

Two people clearing ivy and branches in a wooded area; one uses long loppers while the other bends to pick up debris.

Trainee Community Engagement Officer Archie says: "We had a great day at Gillham Woods with colleagues & volunteers taking down small Holly trees to bring more light into the understory. Some Holly was processed into stakes to be used for future community dead hedging projects."

Ten people standing together in a grassy field wearing outdoor coats and boots under a cloudy sky.

We regularly update our map of Community conservation projects across Sussex. If you’d like to get your group added to the map please email swtcommunitiesteam@sussexwt.org.uk

https://f.mtr.cool/xfxpeaijuz

📸 Barry Wildish

Detailed close-up of a white-tailed bumblebee collecting nectar from bright yellow winter jasmine blossoms, its translucent wings folded over its furry black and yellow body

Happy Tuesday! A welcome sight on the south coast. A sign of spring .. first bumblebee spotted of 2026 enjoying the winter jasmine ☀️🐝 🌼

#bee #nature #photography #sussex #england #wildlife #insect #Britishwildlife #uknature @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @brightonwildlife.bsky.social

Brimstone butterfly (yellow-green with brown spots mimicking leaf rust) resting on dark green ivy.

Just as Zoë and I were having a go at the old time Music Hall number "When the Summer Comes Again", this brimstone butterfly flutters past the window in the sunshine and poses on some ivy for Zoë. Magic! @savebutterflies.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #ukwildlife

Smiling person in a hoodie and glasses, mouth open in a big smile, seated in a metal-framed vehicle.

Rangers are like onions, they have layers - six to be specific when it comes to Matt Rich, as Bobbie Lane found out on a day around Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

https://f.mtr.cool/xqvchpsoyc 

© Laura Ross

flying heron with nest material in its beak

It’s not unusual for Grey Herons to begin nesting in February, and as one of our largest birds, their activity can be hard to miss.  
Lovely Heron pic on the Nature Table taken by Richard Illingworth

smiling staff member with a group

Free training! Are you involved with a community group? Want to learn more about managing risk? Sat 28 Feb, 10am-1pm at Woods Mill. 
Sign up 
https://f.mtr.cool/zgyrbniffl 📸 Chris Brown

This too shall pass. Brighter skies are on their way!

📷Crow in rain © Alan Price / Chaffinch in sun © Roger Wilmshurst