01.06.2024 Spider Crabs are reputed to be in good supply at the moment, but minus one at least this morning!
A Great Black-backed Gull at Corbiere MD
An overcast start to a fine day, but with a chilly northeast wind.
Seabirds continue to pass Corbiere in good numbers for the time of year. Today's counts there included 27 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Balearic Shearwaters, 16 Fulmars, 30 Gannets, a male Shelduck, 9 Guillemots, 4 Cormorants, 22 Shags, 12 Kittiwakes, 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 41 Great Black-backed Gulls and several hundreds of Herring Gulls. 3 Collared Doves flew in off the sea, pursued by a Peregrine and also arriving were 3 Swifts and 3 late Swallows. On the ground were 6 Choughs, but there was no sign of the Wheatear there today.
A visit to Les Ecrehous saw 2 Sandwich Terns among the Common Terns there, while another Manx Shearwater was seen three miles sound of St Helier and a Roseate Tern, five miles to the south-east.
A pair of Shelduck were at La Pulente with another Shelduck at Le Pulec and another Peregrine flew over Les Landes.
On the downside, a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker was found dead in a garden on Mont Felard, probably a victim of a collision with a window.
On Mont les Vaux, a Serin was heard singing briefly in a garden, also 10+ Swifts were seen overhead. At Noirmont were fledged Linnets being fed by their parents, also a Buzzard and Kestrels were there and in Rue du Pont, Trinity was a male Bullfinch which has been there for several days.
By the Desalination plant at Corbiere was a family of 6 Ravens and a pair of Dartford Warblers.
Some extras from yesterday include a Barn Owl at Mont les Routeurs, 24 Swifts over Elizabeth Castle late on, a Peregrine and a Buzzard at Rozel Harbour and 15 Razorbills rafting off the northwest coast.
Mick Dryden
Romano da Costa
Tony Paintin