Jersey Birds

07.01.2026 A beautiful male Black Redstart which is currently resident in Robin Bay at La Rocque, with thanks to Romano for the fine image RDC A cold front moved over the Island during the night leaving a fair to cloudy day in a gusty northwest wind, bult milder at 9c. Jersey is still gaining the benefit of the cold weather to it's north, in birding terms. In St Ouen's Bay, over 1000 Lapwings were seen, some passing through, also 6 Golden Plovers , a wild type Greylag Goose and a buzzard sp , possibly a Rough-legged Buzzard, with is worth looking out for. Another busy morning for seabirds off Corbiere included an out of season Manx Shearwater, 2,354 Guillemots, 528 Razorbills , 3 Fulmars , 145 Gannets , a Great Northern Diver , a Common Scoter , 75 Shags , 5 Cormorants , 155 Kittiwakes , 301 Great Black-backed Gulls , 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 19 Mediterranean Gulls , 5 Black-headed Gulls and 3 Common Gulls . A small pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins moved south past the lighthouse too. In Petit Port Bay on the falling tide were 34 Brent Geese , 2 Shelduck , 3 Mediterranean Gulls and 10 Great Black-backed Gulls . At La Sente were a wild type Greylag Goose, 229 Brent Geese , a Wigeon , 17 Lapwings , a Cattle Egret , 5 Little Egrets , 19 Grey Herons , a Common Gull , 13 Snipe , 40 Starlings , 12 Redwings , 20 Chaffinches , 3 Pied Wagtails and 4 Ravens . On Queen's Valley reservoir were 18 Tufted Ducks , 4 Teal , a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail , while at Le Catillon were 27 Lapwings and 80 Starlings . A White-fronted Goose was still at Grouville Marsh and 13 Cattle Egrets were on Fauvic Marsh. 2 Black Redstarts were at La Rocque again, also 130 Oystercatchers were there. Another 60+ Lapwings were at Hautes Croix and in Beaumont Marsh were a Cattle Egret , a Little Egret , a Grey Heron , 16 Snipe , a Marsh Harrier and 2 Pied Wagtails . 33 Redshanks and 3 Turnstones roosted at St Aubin this morning, and a Common Sandpiper was in the St Helier Marina, near La Folie Inn site, also 4 Brent Geese .

08.01.2025 A White-fronted Goose in flight, image courtesy of Romano RDC A poor day for weather, with rain throughout, as Storm Goretti approached us. Storm force winds from the West and Northwest are forecast and a rare red 'danger to life' warning is in force for this evening and overnight for the Channel Islands. We will see what is left by tomorrow. Stay safe. Seen from the shelter of the Wetland Centre at St Ouen's Pond from first light were a Bittern , a White-fronted Goose , 62 Shoveler , 6 Teal , 2 Little Grebes , 165 Brent Geese , 26 Snipe , 6 Mediterranean Gulls, 12 Great Black-backed Gulls , a Water Pipit and a Stonechat . A count of Lapwings in the fields behind St Ouen's Pond found 1,038 present, also 8 Golden Plovers , 220 Stock Doves and 25 Starlings . The Snow Bunting remained at Kempt Tower, with a Stonechat also there. On Sand's Slip on the rising tide were 76 Sanderlings and 3 Ringed Plovers while at the Cutty Sark were 35 Ringed Plovers , 21 Dunlin and a single Sanderling . At the bottom of Jubilee Hill were a first-winter Caspian Gull and a Common Gull . At Le Pulec and in Stinky Bay were 8 Gannets , a Guillemot , a Kittiwake , 4 Mediterranean Gulls , 70 Black-headed Gulls , a Pied Wagtail and the usual Rock Pipits . In Beaumont Marsh were a Cattle Egret , 2 Little Egrets , 11 Snipe and 110 Black-headed Gulls . On the East side of the Island, a Lapwing , 26 Common Gulls and 4 Mediterranean Gulls were at Le Catillon and in Grouville Marsh were 9 Lapwings and 100 Redwings . At La Sente were 8 Lapwings , 5 Teal , a Wigeon , a Greylag Goose , 28 Pied Wagtails , 45 Starlings and 60 Chaffinches and on Route des Cotils were 68 Cattle Egrets , 12 Mediterranean Gulls , 35 Common Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 150 Black-headed Gulls . In and over a Vallee des Vaux garden were 30 Redwings , a Siskin , 3 Blackcaps and 3 Ravens . Yesterday, 2 Cattle Egrets were by the Windmill in St Peter and another Cattle Egret was at Trinity Manor.

06.01.2026 with the current cold conditions to the north of us, Lapwings and Golden Plovers are starting to arrive on the Island in numbers now. These Lapwings were seen here dropping into the field at Le Catillon today. Image : MD A fair day with good sunny periods in a light northwest wind. Seen at La Rocque from first light were 4 Great Northern Divers, 46 Red-breasted Mergansers , 6 Pochard , 12 Gannets , 10 Slavonian Grebes , 3 Black-necked Grebes , 11 Lapwings , 8 Greenshanks , 70 Ringed Plovers , 90 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Mediterranean Gulls , 12 Grey Herons and 31 Little Egrets , also 2 male Black Redstarts . In Grouville Bay were another Great Northern Diver , 3 Black-necked Grebes , 5 Great Crested Grebes , 12 Teal , 623 Brent Geese , 2 Shelduck , a Knot , 455 Sanderlings , 300 Dunlin , 2 Bar-tailed Godwits , and another Black Redstart . Maximum numbers at Le Catillon were 330 Lapwings, 47 Golden Plovers, 30 Starlings and 15 Common Gulls . At La Sente were 103 Brent Geese, 9 Snipe , 23 Lapwings , 10 Redwings , 3 Song Thrushes and 2 Pied Wagtails . A White-fronted Goose was at Grouville Marsh again. Also seen there were 25 Reed Buntings , 12 Chiffchaffs , 5 Blackcaps , 3 Cett i's Warblers , 2 Bullfinches , 60 Redwings , 2 Song Thrushes , 6 Teal , 2 Woodcocks , a Snipe , 2 Marsh Harriers , a Sparrowhawk , 80 Jackdaws , a Barn Owl and 9 Cattle Egrets overflying. In St Ouen's Bay were a Caspian Gull , 2 Common Gulls , 12 Great Black-backed Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 12 Mediterranean Gulls and 20 Black-headed Gulls . 40 Shovelers were on St Ouen's Pond and in the fields behind St Ouen's Pond were 337 Lapwings, 200 Stock Doves and 106 Brent Geese . A Bittern was seen at the Scrape again. Up at Les Landes were 27 Golden Plovers , a Peregrine , 4 Stonechats , 2 Ravens and 4 Choughs . At Le Pulec were 125 Oystercatchers , 7 Little Egrets and 40 Rock Pipits . In Beaumont Marsh were 4 Snipe and 2 Pied Wagtails , in St Brelade's Bay were 3 Pied Wagtails and at Gorselands was a single Lapwing . At La Freminerie ( St Saviour) w ere 7 Lapwings , 22 Pied Wagtails , 55 Redwings and 40 Chaffinches . 3 Teal , 5 Tufted Ducks and a Chiffchaff were in Grands Vaux and in a field by Hautes Croix Stores in St John were a further 50 Lapwings .

05.01.2026 A Knot, one of two at La Rocque yesterday, image courtesy of Romano RDC A poor morning for weather, with rain continuously till lunchtime, then a fair afternoon in a moderate northerly wind and cold at 3c. In Grouville Bay this morning, were 2 Great Northern Divers , 5 Great Crested Grebes , a Slavonian Grebe , a Black-necked Greb e, 4 Gannets and a Knot . At La Sente were the Greylag Goose , a Wigeon , 81 Brent Geese , a Curlew , 2 Lapwings , 20 Redwings , 2 Song Thrushes and 70 Chaffinches . In Grouville Marsh were a White-fronted Goose , 18 Cattle Egrets , 61 Coot , a Chiffchaff and a Cetti's Warbler . At La Rocque were a Stonechat and 2 Black Redstarts , while at Le Catillon were 143 Lapwings, 58 Golden Plovers - the first numbers of this Winter, and 2 Common Gulls . 30 Cattle Egrets were in a field by St Clement's Church, and at Le Roncier were 15 Redwings and 18 Lapwings , with another 15 Redwings at Mont es Neaux as well as 10 Skylarks , 3 Snipe , 2 Song Thrushes and 33 Lapwings . 6 Tufted Ducks were at Grands Vaux. Seen through the pouring rain passing Le Pulec were 1,260 Guillemots, 1,180 auk sp, the vast majority also likely to have been Guillemots , and 83 Razorbills . Also seen were a Red-throated Diver , 112 Gannets , 11 Cormorants , 35 Shags , 215 Kittiwakes , 114 Mediterranean Gulls, 52 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , a Common Gull, 23 Curlews , 20 Meadow Pits and 30+ Rock Pipits . By Kempt Tower were the Snow Bunting and 2 Stonechats . 3 Sanderlings were by Sands Slip, also 2 Shelduck flew through.. St Ouen's Pond, as viewed from the Wetland Centre, held 3 Wigeon , 42 Shoveler , 13 Teal , 6 Tufted Ducks , 3 Little Grebes , a Grey Heron , 11 Snipe , a male Sparrowhawk , a Water Pipit and a Stonechat . In the backfields were 100+ Brent Geese, 200 Lapwings, 2 Golden Plovers , a Merlin , 4 Reed Buntings and 200 Stock Doves . At Augres were another 22 Lapwings and 12 Redwings and at the green waste site at La Collette were 2 Stonechats . Last night, Barn Owls were located in St Martin and Trinity.

04.01.2026 A Song Thrush at Pont Marquet this week. Image: MD A cold day with showers just to the West of the Island, in a light northerly wind In Grouville Bay were a 525 Brent Geese , Knot , 360 Sanderlings , 450 Dunlin , 2 Bar-tailed Godwits , 220 Grey Plovers , a Greenshank and 2 Shovelers , while at La Rocque were 11 Red-breasted Mergansers , a Black-necked Grebe, 48 Ringed Plovers and 2 male Black Redstarts . Around a frosted Grouville Marsh were a White-fronted Goose , a Barnacle Goose , 56 Coot , 6 Cattle Egrets and 2 Grey Herons. 3 Cattle Egrets were at Cowley Farm while at La Sente were 63 Brent Geese and a Greylag . Passing Corbiere in two hours this morning, were 6 Red-throated Divers , a Common Scoter , 4,286 Razorbills, 1,438 Guillemots , 285 Gannets, 602 Kittiwakes , 10 Mediterranean Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 2 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Common Gulls and 13 Great Black-backed Gulls . On St Ouen's Bay beach were 122 Mediterranean Gulls , a Kittiwake , a Common Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 5 Great Black-backed Gulls and 70 Black-headed Gulls . On the Scrape was a Bittern. In the orchard near Trinity Church were 18 Fieldfares , 35 Redwings , 2 Song Thrushes , a Blackcap , 5 Ravens and a Woodcock . A Grey Wagtail visited a garden feeder in Greve de Lecq and in the St Helier Marina was a roost of 150+ alba Wagtails .

03.01.2025 A Redwing feeding on Ivy berries at Pont Marquet. Image: MD A cloudy morning with light showers and a fair afternoon, but cold at 7c in a fresh northwest wind. A bumper passage of birds past Corbiere this morning saw, in three hours, 11,275 Razorbills and Guillemots , 276 Gannets , a Fulmar , 2,004 Kittiwakes , 19 Mediterranean Gulls , 2 Common Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 10 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Turnstone , a Peregrine , 2 Ravens and a Harbour Porpoise . In Petit Port Bay were 22 Curlews , and 2 Shelduck . At Le Catillon were 28 Common Gulls and 6 Lapwings , and at La Sente were a Wigeon , 2 Shelducks , 28 Brent Geese , 2 Cattle Egrets and a Common Gull . 2 Grey Wagtails were near the RNLI station at Archirondel and 2 Black Redstarts were seen at La Rocque and Robin Bay. On St Ouen's Pond were 29 Shovelers , 31 Brent Geese , 2 Grey Herons , a Snipe , 3 Little Grebes and a Water Pipit . The Snow Bunting remained near Kempt Tower while on St Ouen's beach were 60+ Mediterranean Gulls , a Common Gull and 25 Great Black-backed Gulls . In the fields behind St Ouen's Pond were 190 Lapwing , c200 Stock Doves and 2 Skylarks and in the Sandpits were 9 Little Grebes , 41 Tufted Ducks , 10 Pochard and a Pied Wagtail . On Jubilee Hill, following a plough, were 13 Mediterranean Gulls , a Black-headed Gull and 23 Herring Gulls . On Handois Reservoir were 23 Tufted Ducks, 67 Mallard , 3 Grey Herons , 5 Cormorants , 3 Chiffchaffs and a Siskin, and at the Gunsite in St Aubin's Bay were c300 Brent Geese and 3 Curlews . In Bouley Bay were 2 Buzzards and 5 Fulmars and a Blackcap was seen at a garden feeder at La Moye.

02.01.2026 Into a new year and the Snow Bunting at Kempt Tower is still gracing us with it's presence. Image: MD A day of showers and cloud in a fresh and chilly northwest wind Among seabirds passing Corbiere was a Great Skua , an increasingly scarce species, having been hit hard by bird flu in recent years. Also seen there were a Red-throated Diver, 1,120 Razorbills, 536 Guillemots , a Fulmar , 21 Gannets , 239 Kittiwakes , 14 Mediterranean Gulls , 9 Common Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 3 Black-headed Gulls . In Petit Port Bay were 31 Curlews , 28 Brent Geese , 5 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Kingfisher , while on St Ouen's Beach were a Caspian Gull, 35 Great Black-backed Gulls , 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 4 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Common Gulls and 14 Black-headed Gulls . In St Ouen's Bay, the Snow Bunting was again seen by Kempt Tower, while on St Ouen's Pond were 11 Shovelers , 3 Tufted Ducks , 60 Brent Geese , a Grey Heron , 3 Little Grebes , a Snipe and a Water Pipit and in the backfields there, were 220 Lapwings, 210 Stock Doves and a Skylark . In the Sandpits were 36 Tufted Ducks , 11 Pochard and 2 Little Grebes . Early on, a Woodcock and 20 Lapwings were seen from Noirmont. On Grouville Common were 14 Redwings , a Chiffchaff , 3 Blackcaps , 3 Greenfinches , 10 Linnets and 5 Cirl Buntings . A Black Redstart was in Robin Bay at La Rocque. On Mont a L'Abbe was a Cattle Egret and at Grands Vaux were 4 Teal and 3 Tufted Duck . Below : Where this female Australian Wood Duck arrived from to be on the Island is unknown, but it is a fair bet to say it wasn't the Antipodes. It is a good looking bird nevertheless and is currently to be found among the feral Greylags in St Ouen's Bay. Image: MD

01.01.2026 Bittern in front of the Wetland Centre today. Image: MD The wind moved back into the west today, with showers early morning, giving way to a cloudy day (9c) A wide range of locations were visited today, the first day of 2026. In St Ouen's Bay, the Snow Bunting was still at Kempt Tower for an easy year tick! Seen from the Wetland Centre were a Bittern , 155 Brent Geese , 3 Tufted Duck , 35 Shoveler , 4 Teal , 4 Little Grebes , 3 Snipe , a Water Pipit , a Grey Heron and a Water Rail , while in the backfields were 201 Lapwings, 200 Stock Doves , a male Merlin , a White-fronted Goose , a Pink-footed Goose , and a Barnacle Goose . On St Ouen's Bay beach were 57 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Black-headed Gulls , 24 Dunlin , a Sanderling and 17 Ringed Plovers . In the Sandpits were 13 Pochard and 20 Tufted Ducks and a Common Gull was at La braye. See from Corbiere were 388 Razorbills , 102 Guillemots , a Fulmar , 36 Kittiwakes and 12 Mediterranean Gulls , a Common Gull, and in Petit Port were 36 Curlews , 5 Grey Plovers , 4 Turnstones , 117 Oystercatchers , 19 Black-headed Gulls , 7 Brent Geese and 59 Crows . At La Rocque were 88 Ringed Plovers , 72 Redshanks , 7 Greenshanks , 95 Grey Plovers , a Bar-tailed Godwit , 120 Turnstones , 135 Oystercatchers , 300 Sanderlings and 340 Dunlin . In a field behind La Rocque was a Stonechat , and at Le Hocq were 56 Brent Geese and 4 Curlews . A Black Redstart was at Robin Bay. In Grouville Marsh was a White-fronted Goose , 10 Redwings and a Cattle Egret and at Le Catillon were 31 Lapwings , 3 Common Gulls and 10 Jackdaws . At La Sente were a Greylag Goose , a Wigeon , 5 Cattle Egrets and 4 Ravens . In Queen's Valley were 8 Tufted Ducks , a Teal , a Grey Heron , 24 Coot , a Firecrest , a Short-toed Treecreeper , 60+ Redwings , 4 Song Thrushes and 23 Blackcaps . At Handois Reservoir were 29 Tufted Ducks, 86 Mallards , 6 Coot , 6 Cormorants , 5 Goldcrests , 20 Redwings and a Fieldfare was in a garden in St John. A visit to Pont Marquet saw 15 Redwings , 4 Song Thrushes, 7 Blackbirds , a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Firecrests , 3 Blackcaps and 2 Greenfinches and a further 12 Redwings were in Rue de la Patente in St Lawrence. A Grey Wagtail was in Rue de Huquet in St Martin, where it has been a regular visitor for the last three weeks.

31.12.2025 . A Caspian Gull on the beach in St Ouen's Bay, image courtesy of Romano. RDC A fair to cloudy day to see out 2025, with a light easterly wind. In Grouville Marsh today were a White-fronted Goose , 4 Cattle Egrets , 2 Snipe , 4 Grey Herons , 30 Coot , 7 Water Rails, a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 25 Reed Buntings , 10 Chiffchaffs , 8 Blackcaps , 4 Cetti's Warblers , 9 Long-tailed Tits , 45 Redwings , 3 Song Thrushes , a Sparrowhawk and 80 Jackdaws . At Le Catillon were 110 Lapwings and 4 Common Gulls, while at La Sente were a Wigeon , the wild Greylag , 11 Cattle Egrets , 2 Lapwings , 3 Ravens , also a Pied Wagtail and numbers of Redwings and a Blackcap . By Grouville Church were 65 Cattle Egrets and 7 Redwings and by St Clement's Church were another 4 Cattle Egrets . Waders at La Rocque included 81 Ringed Plovers , 148 Grey Plovers , a Bar-tailed Godwit , 82 Curlews , 70 Redshanks , 5 Greenshanks , 330 Sanderlings , 450 Dunlin , 125 Oystercatchers , 145 Turnstones , also a Shelduck , 240 Brent Geese, 12 Red-breasted Mergansers , a Slavonian Grebe , 4 Great Crested Grebes , 8 Grey Herons and a Black Redstart . A quieter day offshore at Grosnez saw 2 Red-throated Divers , 422 Razorbills , 62 Gannets , 63 Fulmars , 305 Kittiwakes , a Common Gull , 5 Mediterranean Gulls, 17 Great Black-backed Gulls , 37 Shags , a Peregrine , 2 Ravens , 3 Porpoises and a Grey Seal pass by in three hours, also a male Stonechat was at the Castle. 2 Purple Sandpipers were at Petit Port. In St Ouen's Bay, the Snow Bunting and a Pied Wagtail were at Kempt Tower car park while on the Pond were the immature White-fronted Goose , 16 Teal 17 Shoveler and 3 Little Grebes . 174 Lapwings were with c200 Stock Doves in the backfields there. At the bottom of Jubilee Hill were the Pink-footed Goose , Barnacle Goose and Australian Wood Duck with massed ranks of feral Greylags . On the North coast, at Crabbe, were 3 Buzzards , a Peregrine , 2 Stonechats and a Raven and at Bouley Bay were 5 Fulmars and another Peregrine . Another Stonechat was at Augres and this evening, in Vallee des Vaux were 2 Woodcock in flight together. Below : A beautiful image of Brent Geese flying over La Rocco Tower, in St Ouen's Bay, this morning, with thanks to Scott Haynes for the picture.