| dFH: about 7 obtained to 1937 and 42 recorded from 1950-61 (all below). All records during 1950s and 1960s, especially fly-pasts, must be open to some doubt. Details of those since 1958 were lost while being reviewed by BBRC (M.J.Rogersin litt.). The BBRC's initial view on Gull-billed Terns was that 'few if any would be acceptable by today's standards (but that is true of many other perfectly good records of several other species for that era)' British Birds 88:379. | |
| <1849 | One obtained at Rye (ES). | WB |
| 1802 | One obtained at or near Rye (ES), the first British record. | WB |
| 1802-13 | Two collected at Rye (ES). | WB |
| 1852 | One shot at Selsey Bill (WS) on 31 March. | WB |
| 1855 | One secured near Portslade (ES) in early May. | WB |
| One killed at Portslade (ES) on 27 June. | WB |
| 1872 | [One shot in Bosham Harbour (WS) in October.] | WB (as possible) |
| 1913 | [A male shot at Winchelsea (ES) on 18 June.] | WB HR |
| [A female shot at Winchelsea (ES) on 21 June.] | WB HR |
| [A male shot at Winchelsea (ES) on 23 June.] | WB HR |
| 1950 | One seen over fields and mudbanks at River Adur, Shoreham (WS) on 17 September (Brown, C.F. and Shepperd, J. 1952.Gull-billed Tern in Sussex. British Birds 45:262-3). | * dFH |
| 1951 | One east past Langney Point (ES) on 25 April (reference as below). | * |
| One east past Langney Point (ES) on 29 July (Harber, D.D. and Mead-Briggs, A.R. 1952. Gull-billed Terns in Sussex. British Birds 45:263). | * |
| 1952 | Six feeding off Langney Point (ES) for some hours on 26 June (Harber, D.D. 1952. Gull-billed Terns in Sussex. BritishBirds 45:371-2). | * dFH |
| One east past Langney Point (ES) on 4 July (reference as above). | * |
| 1953 | Two flew inland at Nook Beach, Rye (ES) on 30 May. | * |
| 1955 | Two east past Langney Point (ES) on 29 May (Harber, D.D. 1955. Gull-billed Terns in Sussex. British Birds 48:511). | * |
| Three east past Langney Point (ES) on 29 July (reference as above). | * |
| One at the Midrips (ES) during the evening of 15 August (Ferguson-Lees, I.J. 1955. Gull-billed Tern in Sussex.British Birds 48:512). | * |
| 1956 | One fishing off Langney Point (ES) on 23 and 24 June. | * |
| One east past Langney Point (ES) on 29 June. | * |
| Two, presumed different, east past Langney Point (ES) on 30 June. | * |
| One east past Langney Point (ES) on 28 July. | * |
| Two at the Wicks (K/ES) on 3 September. | * |
| 1958 | One past Langney Point (ES) on 20 July. | * × |
| 1959 | One past Langney Point (ES) on 15 June. | * × |
| 1960 | One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 23 April. | * × |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 1 May. | * × |
| [One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 4 May is no longer considered to be acceptable.] | */*94 ×/×96 |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 9 May. | * × |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 14 May. | * × |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 15 May. | * × |
| One west past Langney Point (ES) on 2 July. | * × |
| One past Selsey Bill (WS) on 3 July. | * × |
| Two west past Selsey Bill (WS) on 16 July. | * × |
| One west past Selsey Bill (WS) on 24 August. | * × |
| 1961 | One east past Langney Point (ES) on 27 April. | * × |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 11 May. | * × |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 28 May. | * × |
| One east past Langney Point (ES) on 13 July. | * × |
| 1962 | One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 26 April. | * × |
| 1963 | One past Selsey Bill (WS) on 26 August. | * × |
| One, possibly the same, past Selsey Bill (WS) on 29 August. | * × |
| 1964 | One past Selsey Bill (WS) on 19 April. | * × |
| One past Selsey Bill (WS) on 21 May. | * × |
| One past Selsey Bill (WS) on 24 May. | * × |
| One, presumably the same, in Pagham Harbour (WS) on 25 May. | * × |
| 1965 | One past Selsey Bill (WS) on 29 May. | * × |
| Two past Selsey Bill (WS) on 12 June and one, probably one of same, west there on 13th. | */*94 × |
| One, past Langney Point (ES) on 1 July. | * × |
| One, possibly the same, past Langney Point (ES) on 5 July. | * × |
| Two past Langney Point (ES) on 13 July. | * × |
| One past Holywell, Eastbourne (ES) on 20 August. | * × |
| 1966 | One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 7 May. | * × |
| 1967 | One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 30 April. | * × |
| One east past Selsey Bill (WS) on 5 May. | * × |
| 1974 | One at Pagham Harbour (WS) on 11 May. | * × |
| An adult in winter plumage at Pett Level (ES) on 12 May. | * × |
| 1975 | One over the Long Pit, Rye Harbour (ES) on 24 August. | * × |
| 1978 | One on a sandbar west of the mouth of the River Rother at Rye Harbour (ES) on 27 August. | *80 ×80 |
| 1981 | An adult in summer plumage at the Ternery Pool, Rye Harbour (ES) during evening of 19 May. | *94 × |
| 1982 | Flocks of 4 and 3 east past Birling Gap (ES) on 13 May (at 07:20 and 07:40 hrs respectively). | *83 × |
| 1984 | One east past Ferring (WS) on 26 April. | * × |
| 1987 | One east past Langney Point (ES) on 20 June. | * × |
| An adult in summer plumage west past Langney Point (ES) on 15 August. | * × |
| 1988 | An adult at Pett Pools (ES) on 15 August. | * × |
| 1995 | Two roosted at Ternery Pool, Rye Harbour (ES) on evening of 28 May but were not present the following morning. | * × |
| 1999 | A second-summer at Ivy Lake, Chichester (WS) from 7 to 9 July (British Birds 92 plate 223 & September cover, Birding World 12: 266 & 268). | * × |