by Michael Dryden
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4 October 2026
04.10.2026 There was a good arrival of Stonechats at Noirmont today, with at least 22 present. This image of a male was taken at Noirmont by MD A fine and warm day (23c), winds from the North-east. Seen from a seawatch at Corbiere this morning were 268 Balearic Shearwaters , 9 Guillemots , and 18 Mediterranean Gulls , with good numbers of Tuna in the area. A Wheatear was on the headland. A busy morning for birds at and over Noirmont involved 170 Swallows , 28 Skylarks , a Reed Bunting , 2 Grey Wagtails , 76 alba Wagtails , 968 Meadow Pipits , a Song Thrush , 1,026 Linnets, 105 Chaffinches , 38 Greenfinches , 16 Goldfinches , a Wheatear , 22 Stonechats , 3 Chiffchaffs , a Blackcap , 6 Dartford Warblers , a Great Spotted Woodpecker , a Peregrine , a Kestrel , 2 Sparrowhawks , 4 Buzzards , 18 Magpies , 3 Ravens , and also a Clouded Yellow butterfly. 7 Black-headed Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull were seen offshore. At Grouville Marsh from first light were 60 Swallows and 100 Jackdaws out of roost, 2 Marsh Harriers , a Reed Warbler , 15 Chiffchaffs , 2 Firecrests , 10 Cetti's Warblers , 14 Siskins , a Grey Wagtail, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a fall of 90+ Blackcaps , 5 Water Rails , a Sparrowhawk , and 15 Robins . Flying over there, were 24 Song Thrushes, 3 alba Wagtails , small numbers of Chaffinches and Meadow Pipits, a Skylark , 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Buzzards . On Grouville Common were 3 Stonechats , with 3 Skylarks and 2 Choughs flying over. In Grouville Bay on the low tide were 74 Brent Geese , 19 Bar-tailed Godwits , a Knot , 3 Grey Plovers , a Greenshank , 11 Dunlin , 128 Sanderlings , 7 Curlews , 11 Little Egrets, 155 Black-headed Gulls and 8 Sandwich Terns . At Grands Vaux reservoir were 6 Teal , a Grey Heron , a Grey Wagtail , a Chiffchaff and 4 Buzzards , while in Beechfield Lane in St Helier were a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Buzzard and in Oaklands Lane were a Song Thrush and a Red Squirrel .