Jersey Birds

06.02.2025 Curlews arriving at Petit Port this morning MD A fair to cloudy day in a chilly east-northeast wind A busier morning for seabirds than the last few days at Corbiere, saw 752 Gannets , 17 Fulmars , a Red-throated Diver , 149 Razorbills , 9 Guillemots , 5 Cormorants , 15 Kittiwakes , 19 Mediterranean Gulls and 60 Great Black-backed Gulls pass, mainly heading northeast. 2 Peregrines were on site as usual. Roosting in Petit Port Bay were 44 Curlews , 158 Oystercatchers and 6 Turnstones . In St Ouen's Bay, at the Sandpits, were 2 Shelduck , 2 Little Grebes and 6 Oystercatchers and on the Pond were 14 Wigeon , 7 Pochard , 6 Teal and 13 Shovelers . At the North end of the Bay, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were at La Saline and 11 Little Egrets , a pair of Stonechats and a Black Redstart were at Le Pulec. 6 Redwings were at La Grande Piece in St Peter. Seen at La Sente this morning were 2 Shelduck , 5 Greenshanks , 25 Redshanks , a Common Gull , 19 Grey Herons and 9 Cattle Egrets , 22 Little Egrets and 400 Brent Geese and near Grouville Marsh were 2 Mistle Thrushes and a female Wigeon . At Gorey were 12 Common Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull and 74 Oystercatchers and near St Clement's Football pitch were 6 Cattle Egrets and a Lesser Black-backed Gull . Yesterday evening at La Haule were a Ringed Plover , 320 Sanderlings and 100 Dunlin , with Redwings flying over calling.

05.02.2025 male Firecrest at Pont Marquet this morning MD A fine but hazy day, feeling Spring-like at 11c in calm winds A ring-tailed Hen Harrier was showing again at Crabbe this morning, where 2 Marsh Harriers , a Buzzard , 2 Kestrels , 8 Song Thrushes , a Skylark , a Stonechat , 60 Linnets , 30 Chaffinches , 45 Meadow Pipits , 2 Ravens , 2 Jackdaws and 6 Choughs were also seen. A Little Grebe was on La Hague reservoir in St Peter's Valley. On St Ouen's Pond were 275 Brent Geese , 9 Wigeon , 9 Shoveler , 7 Pochard , a Tufted Duck , 2 Little Grebes , 70 Lapwings , 7 Snipe , a Mediterranean Gull , a Chiffchaff and a pair of Stonechats . Little was moving past Corbiere with 92 Gannets , 4 Fulmars , a Common Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull of note in one hour. Around the southwest of the Island, 2 Dartford Warblers were singing at Gorselands, with 8 Redwings and a singing Chaffinch also there while at Les Creux was a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker and at Petit Port were 33 Curlews , 25 Turnstones and 3 Purple Sandpipers . At Pont Marquet Country Park were 4 Firecrests , a Goldcrest , 5 Short-toed Treecreepers , a Jay and a Buzzard . At La Sente were 220 Brent Geese , 25 Little Egrets , 2 Cattle Egrets , 11 Grey Herons , 61 Redshanks , 5 Greenshanks and a Snipe Another Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in St Catherine's Woods, with a Grey Heron also there. 12 Brent Geese and 2 Grey Herons were at Fliquet and 5 Brent Geese plus a Little Egret were at Rozel. A Black-necked Grebe was at First Tower. This evening at Le Roncier were 6 Cattle Egrets , a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 75 Black-headed Gulls .

03.02.2025 Certainly better late than never, this image of a Red-breasted Flycatcher , probably a first winter bird, has just come to light. It was taken on 18th October 2024 at Les Minquiers by Richard Gillam and is the seventh record on the species for Jersey. RG A cold and cloudy day in a fresh southeasterly wind. Early movement past Corbiere included a Great Northern Diver , 2 Common Scoters, 4 Guillemots , 88 Gannets , 5 Fulmars , 2 Kittiwakes , a Common Gull , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 33 Curlews and 15 Purple Sandpipers which were flushed from their roosting rocks by the rising Spring tide. On St Ouen's Pond were 150 Brent Geese , 13 Shovelers , 5 Pochard , a pair of Shelduck , a Little Grebe, 5 Snipe , 60 Lapwings , and 2 Mediterranean Gulls while at Sands Slip were 28 Ringed Plovers . At Crabbe were a ring-tailed Hen Harrier , a Marsh Harrier, 2 Kestrels , 2 Ravens , 4 Choughs , 70 Chaffinches , 45 Linnets and 2 Goldfinches and at Plemont were 150 Herring Gulls and 50 + Chaffinches on the freshly ploughed fields. At St Aubin were 30 Redshanks and 17 Turnstones . La Sente held 350 Brent Geese , 6 Cattle Egrets, 10 Little Egrets , 5 Grey Herons , 56 Redshanks , 5 Greenshanks and 12 Pied Wagtails and at Gorey were 500 Black-headed Gulls, a Common Gull, a Mediterranean Gull and 2 Great Crested Grebes. A further 46 Brent Geese were in La Rocque Harbour, also a Great Crested Grebe and 4 Redshanks were in Robin Bay. 58 Brent Geese were at Le Hocq.

02.02.2025 Peregrine Falcon by Romano da Costa RDC A cloudy morning and a fair to fine afternoon, cold at 6c in a south-southeast wind. Off Seymour Slip this morning were 3 Great Northern Divers , a Black-throated Diver , 2 Wigeon , 8 Red-breasted Mergansers , a Slavonian Grebe , a Great Crested Grebe , 4 Gannets , 175 Black-headed Hulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls, a Common Gull, 3 Ringed Plovers and Peregrine sitting on Seymour Tower. Seen from La Rocque were another Great Northern Diver, 2 Great Crested Grebes , 320 Dunlin , 26 Sanderlings , 89 Grey Plovers , 123 Oystercatchers , 63 Turnstones , 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Black Redstart . At a still flooded La Sente were 73 Redshanks , 400 Brent Geese , 11 Grey Herons , 16 Little Egrets , a Cattle Egret and a Lesser Black-backed Gull while at Grouville Marsh were 10 Common Gulls and 12 Cattle Egrets , with the Mistle Thrush count having risen to two! A Shelduck was in Causie Lane. In St Aubin's Bay were 2 Great Crested Grebes , 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 50 Black-headed Gulls while at St Aubin were 31 Redshanks and 12 Turnstones. 5 Buzzards were in flight over Noirmont with a Raven for company, briefly. In the Marina were 170 alba Wagtails . Further West, at Corbiere, were 27 Purple Sandpipers and at St Ouen's Pond and Scrape were 12 Wigeon , 5 Pochard , 25 Teal and 2 Shelduck . One further Pochard was in the Sandpits. A Kingfisher was seen at Le Braye. At Crabbe were a male and a ring-tailed Hen Harrier , also a Merlin , with another? Merlin seen at Hydrangea Avenue in St Ouen. At Cowley Farm were 120 Starlings . From Vallee des Vaux this afternoon: 3 Woodcock , 5 Bullfinches , 4 Redwings , a Firecrest , a Blackcap , 2 Goldcrests and 2 Ravens .

01.02.2025 A male Red-breasted Merganser passing Corbiere this morning. A dull day, but dry, and feeling cold (7c) in a south-southeast wind. Passing Corbiere through this morning were 7 Red-throated Divers , a Black-throated Diver , a Red-breasted Merganser , a Common Scoter , 39 Gannets , 4 Fulmars , 5 Guillemots , 2 auk sp far out, 90 Shags , 12 Cormorants , 43 Curlews , 2 Grey Plovers , 4 Purple Sandpipers , 67 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull , a Yellow-legged Gull , 12 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Common Gulls , 120 Herring Gulls and 2 Peregrines . At La Sente were 400 Brent Geese, a Shelduck , 68 Redshanks , a Greenshank , 26 Curlews , 2 Common Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull, 6 Grey Herons and 7 Little Egrets and a Mistle Thrush was at Grouville Marsh. In Rozel Valley were a Buzzard and a Great Spotted Woodpecker and at Grosnez were 6 Marsh Harriers , a Grey Heron , 30 Fulmars , 6 Gannets and a Dartford Warbler , while at Crabbe were a Peregrine , a Merlin , a Kestrel , 40 Linnets and 2 Stonechats . Yesterday evening at Crabbe was a ring-tailed Hen Harrier . Another Peregrine was seen today, at the Coinshare Stadium. At Fountain Lane were 3 Snipe , a Woodcock , 2 Marsh Harriers , 2 Buzzards , 6 Water Rails , 4 Cetti's Warblers , a Reed Bunting , 2 Chiffchaffs , a Firecrest , a Blackcap , 5 Redwings and a singing Song Thrush. 2 Black-necked Grebes were at West Park.

31.01.2025 Sanderlings with a Polish colour-ringed Dunlin at La Rocque recently. Image courtesy of Romano RdC. Another frontal system with plenty of rain in a southwest wind, saw the last morning of the month out, with the forecast of drier and more settled conditions in the coming days. Few will regret the passing of January, with very little by way of new birds arriving, and far too much rain! At La Sente this morning, as conditions improved, were 24 Redshanks , 9 Curlews , 6 Grey Herons and a Bullfinch , while at Grouville Marsh were 9 Common Gulls , 42 Redwings , a Mistle Thrush and a Shoveler . Seen from the Wetland Centre were a Bittern , 130 Brent Geese , 5 Pochard , a Tufted Duck , 5 Teal , 13 Coot and 10 Snipe . In the Sandpits were 84 Lapwings , 27 Tufted Duck , 11 Pochard , 5 Little Grebes , a Buzzard , 24 Great Black-backed Gulls and one Lesser Black-backed Gulls . A brief flurry of seabirds past Corbiere late morning, as the rain dried up, included 31 Gannets , 7 Fulmars , 8 Razorbills , 25 Shags , just 2 Cormorants , 66 Great Black-backed Gulls, one Lesser Black-backed Gull , 2 Kittiwakes and a Common Gull . One Peregrine was operating in the area. In Petit Port were 19 Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , also a Grey Heron . A Merlin was seen in Clos des Sables, at Red Houses this afternoon.

30.01.2025 Thanks go to Dave Warncken for capturing this image of a Jack Snipe at the Wetland Centre, only the second record of the elusive species this Winter DW A fair day for a change, but chilly at 7c in a fresh to strong north-northeast wind. Birds relocating past Corbiere after several stormy days, included 676 Gannets , all adults, 58 Fulmars , 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Red-throated Divers , 12 Cormorants , 8 Razorbills , 15 Kittiwakes , 9 Mediterranean Gulls , a Black-headed Gull, a Common Gull , 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 32 Great Black-backed Gulls . Also passing were 34 Curlews and 2 Peregrines , while 19 Purple Sandpipers were roosting nearby. At and around St Ouen's Pond this morning were a male Hen Harrier, a Short-eared Owl , 15 Wigeon , 23 Teal , 7 Pochard , a Shelduck , a Jack Snipe again, 2 Little Grebes , c90 Lapwings , 170 Brent Geese and a Water Pipit . In the Sandpits were 9 Pochard , 10 Tufted Duck , 5 Little Grebes and 4 Oystercatchers . At a very flooded La Sente were 135 Brent Geese , 13 Cattle Egrets , 10 Little Egrets , 7 Grey Herons and 20 Black-headed Gulls . In Grouville Marsh were a Shoveler , 3 Water Rails , a Cattle Egret , 20 Redwings and 6 Chiffchaffs and at Le Boulivot were a further 5 Cattle Egrets . Yesterday evening, 5 Snipe were at Mont Mado in St John. Below : A flooded La Sente today MD

29.01.2025 Wigeon on a bumpy St Ouen's Pond yesterday MD Windy and very wet was the forecast for this morning, and so it proved, drying out for a while this afternoon, ahead of the rain returning later. Viewed from the refuge of the Wetland Centre this morning were 245 Brent Geese , the Pink-footed Goose with it's Barnacle Goose friend, 18 Shoveler, 12 Wigeon , 20 Teal , a Pochard , a Tufted Duck , 3 Cormorants , a Little Grebe , 4 Coot , 18 Lapwings , 11 Snipe , a Curlew , 17 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , 24 Black-headed Gulls , 43 Starlings , a Chiffchaff and 2 singing Cetti's Warblers . A Raven and 2 Marsh Harriers were also seen. In the Sandpits at Le Braye, were 9 Pochard , 10 Tufted Duck , 5 Little Grebes and 4 Oystercatchers, and at Beaumont Marsh were 6 Shoveler. Below: Mediterranean Gulls are already getting their hoods for the breeding season. This birds was seen leaving St Ouen's Pond yesterday. MD

28.01.2025 A female Stonechat at the Wetland Centre this morning MD The stormy times continue, with heavy showers for good measure and a strong and gusty west-southwest wind. On St Ouen's Pond this morning were 15 Wigeon , 27 Shoveler , 4 Pochard , 2 Tufted Duck , 2 Shelduck , a Jack Snipe , 8 Snipe , a Stonechat and a Water Pipit . Gulls roosting on the Pond included 32 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull and 5 Black-headed Gulls . 2 Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard were hunting over the backfields. Little was moving past Grosnez in the wild conditions there, with 27 Gannets , 13 Fulmars , 2 Kittiwakes , a Razorbill and 20 Great Black-backed Gulls seen in one hour, and a Black Redstart was at the Castle. At La Sente were 540 Brent Geese , a good count of 139 Curlews , c60 Redshanks , 4 Greenshanks , 22 Black-headed Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull , a Common Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull . A very young Grey Seal was at La Rocque and being closely monitored. Yesterday evening at Grouville Marsh were 17 Teal , 6 Snipe , 2 Woodcock and 49 Curlews .