by Michael Dryden
•
5 July 2026
05.07.2026 Female and juvenile Shovelers on the South Canal. MD Another cool and overcast morning, giving way to a fair afternoon in a west-northwest wind. Gulls are returning to the Island, post breeding now and in Grouville Bay today were 43 Mediterranean Gulls , c100 Black-headed Gulls and also, a Sandwich Tern . In St Ouen's Bay were 74 Great Black-backed Gulls , 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 41 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Mediterranean Gulls , and 11 Herring Gulls . Offshore in St Ouen's Bay, the feeding patch was busy again with hundreds of Gulls , Shearwaters , Auks and Gannets seen. Another quiet morning off Corbiere saw 30 Balearic Shearwaters , 10 Manx Shearwaters , 57 Gannets , 4 Fulmars , 16 Guillemots , 17 Shags , 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 27 Great Black-backed Gulls , 6 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Black-headed Gulls pass in three hours. 20 Curlews were at Petit Port. In St Aubin's Bay were 42 Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull , 3 Redshanks and 7 Swifts . At St Ouen's Pond and Scrape were a Grey Heron, a Lapwing , 2 Oystercatchers , 2 Swifts , 10+ Sand Martins and 10 Swallows . A family of 4 Stonechats was on Les Blanches Banques. On the north of the Island, a Chough , a singing Blackcap , a Chaffinch and a Blue Tit family were seen near St Mary's Church, while at Les Platons were a Peregrine , 3 Ravens , a Dartford Warbler and a Swallowtail butterfly and at Victoria Tower were another 3 Swallowtails .