Jersey Birds
03.04.2024 Our first Puffin of the year, seen in poor light this morning MD
A cloudy to overcast day with a few brighter interludes, all in a strong west-southwest wind
With such a tiny population of Puffins which nest on the North coast, there is always the fear that one year, they just won't return. Happily that is not the case for 2024, with one seen preening on the northwest coast this morning.
A few seabirds passing Grosnez included 7 Manx Shearwaters, 10 Guillemots, 10 Razorbills, 21 Gannets, 18 Fulmars, with many more sitting on ledges along the coast, 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 13 Kittiwakes, 2 Sandwich Terns and a Common Tern, also 2 Ravens and a Peregrine were seen. A very short visit to a windy Corbiere saw 9 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Guillemots and a lot of rough sea! A further 20 Manx Shearwaters were seen rafting mid-channel between Guernsey and Jersey.
In the flooded field at La Sente were 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Teal, a Greenshank, 17 Cattle Egrets, 17 Little Egrets, a male Marsh Harrier, a Raven, a Pied Wagtail and 4 White Wagtails. In Grouville Bay were 316 Brent Geese, 30 Oystercatchers, 11 Sanderlings, 49 Grey Plovers and at Le Bourg, 23 dark-bellied Brent Geese. 4 Swallows were seen at Sorel and 2 Tufted Duck were on the small reservoir in Mourier Valley. At La Hougue Bie were 11 Buzzards and in Vallee des Vaux were a Siskin and 4 Bullfinches.
At St Aubin were 83 pale-bellied Brent Geese
Video of yesterday's Black-tailed Godwit, courtesy of Jo Bramley
Mick Dryden
Romano da Costa
Tony Paintin
