Jersey Birds

05.01.2024   Skylark in St Ouen's Bay   MD

A day of heavy showers and some sunshine in a fresh west-northwest wind (10c)

A better range of species was seen off Corbiere this morning, for what qualified as a respite day after the recent horrors. Seen in three hours were a Great Northern Diver, 5 Black-throated Divers, 9 Red-throated Divers, 1,038 Razorbills, 26 Guillemots, 38 Gannets, 5 Fulmars, 91 Kittiwakes 7 Black-headed Gulls, 46 Mediterranean Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Common Gull, a flock of c50 small waders moving south, probably Sanderlings, 18 Brent Geese heading north, 2 Turnstones, 16 Cormorants and 27 Shags, also 6 Common Dolphins and 2 Harbour Porpoises, with a Black Redstart at the bottom car park. Waders at Corbiere included 21 Grey Plovers, 23 Turnstones, 47 Curlews and 150+ Oystercatchers with one Brent Goose also there.

An interesting selection of birds at La Rocque and in Grouville Bay included 2 Great Northern Divers, 23 Red-breasted Mergansers, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Slavonian Grebes, 2 Black-necked Grebes, 8 Common Scoters, 160 Sanderlings, 250 Dunlin, 60 Grey Plovers, 4 Redshanks and a Peregrine, also 22 Brent Geese at Gorey.  A female Black-Redstart and 8 Pied Wagtails were at La Rocque too. A Grey Wagtail was seen at Archirondel.

At La Sente were 54 Redshanks, 7 Greenshanks, 26 Curlews, one Barnacle Goose, one Egyptian Goose, a Shelduck, 17 Grey Herons, a Little Egret and 250+ Brent Geese.

At St Ouen's Pond, Scrape and backfields were a Hen Harrier again, 5 Shovelers, a Teal, 37 Lapwings and 6 Marsh Harriers.

At Beaumont Marsh were 108 Brent Geese including 17 pale-bellied Brent, 2 Little Egrets and a singing Song Thrush and 2 Great Crested Grebes were at St Aubin. A further 4 Brent Geese were behind Les Mielles Apartments.



Below: Interesting conditions off the southwest this morning!   MD