Jersey Birds

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.

30.12.2025 The Greylag Goose which is currently at La Sente. Image thanks to Romano da Costa. Another dry day, slightly less cold at 9c, but still with a cold and blustery Easterly wind to offset it. It was a very busy day for birds passing Grosnez, mostly all heading East into the wind. Seen through the morning were 5,314 Razorbills , just 3 Guillemots , 172 Gannets , 117 Fulmars , 14 Shags , 4 Cormorants , 1,658 Kittiwakes , 8 Mediterranean Gulls , 11 Common Gulls , 47 Great Black-backed Gulls , 16 Black-headed Gulls and over 200 Herring Gulls . 2 Porpoises were attracting much attention offshore. In St Ouen's Bay, the Snow Bunting was again near the Kempt Tower car park, while on the Scrape were a Bittern , a pair of Shelduck and a Kingfisher . In the backfields at St Ouen's Pond were 134 Lapwings . At Petit Port were 9 Purple Sandpipers , 5 Grey Plovers , 33 Turnstones , 15 Dunlin , 10 Ringed Plovers and 4 Brent Geese . 13 Brent Geese were at La Haule and an o ther 13 Brent Geese plus 31 Redshanks and a Turnstone were at St Aubin. On Les Pres Manor pond, by Grouville Marsh, was the White-fronted Goose and 53 Coot and in Grouville Marsh were 6 Chiffchaffs , 8 Redwings and a Water Rail. At La Sente were a Greylag Goose , 97 Brent Geese , 4 Cattle Egrets , 4 Common Gulls , 2 Stonechats , 2 Ravens and 94 Starlings . A Kingfisher was on Queen's Valley reservoir. The conservation field in Rue de Jutize has been cut and most of the birds have moved off, with just 100 Chaffinches , and 6 Redwings present today. By St Martin's Arsenal were 60 Lapwings and at Grands Vaux were 2 Teal , 2 Tufted Duck and 5 Chiffchaffs . In the orchard near Trinity Church were 20 Fieldfares , 70 Redwings , 2 Stonechats and a Goldcrest . At Home Farm in St John were a Black Redstart , a Grey Wagtail and 2 Choughs and in a field just west of St Clement Church were 13 Little Egrets and 12 Cattle Egrets . Another Grey Wagtail , 2 Siskins , 52 Redwings , 3 Song Thrushes and 4 Ravens were in Vallee des Vaux.

29.12.2025 Today's first winter Greater White-fronted Goose in St Ouen's Bay. Image: MD A fair to fine day in a moderate easterly wind (8c) In St Ouen's Bay, the Snow Bunting was still near to Kempt Tower with a Stonechat also in the same car park. 17 Ringed Plovers were roosting nearby, with 21 Ringed Plovers having been seen at Sands. The geese were still in the fields at the bottom of Jubilee Hill and among the 200+ feral Greylags were the first-winter White-fronted Goose , our resident Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Goose , 105 dark-bellied Brent Geese , and also bizarrely, an female Australian Wood Duck . Flying overhead were 17 Lapwings and a single flock of 48 Choughs . In the Sandpits werea pair of Shelduck and 13 Pochard , only one of them a female. On St Ouen's Pond were 21 Brent Geese , 6 Tufted Duck , 18 Teal , 18 Shoveler , 2 Little Grebes and a Water Pipit and in the fields behind the Pond were 170 Lapwings and a Snipe . Another busy morning off Corbiere saw 3,463 Razorbills, 608 Guillemots , a Great Northern Diver , 53 Gannets , 73 Kittiwakes , 52 Black-headed Gulls , 31 Mediterranean Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 4 Common Gulls , 22 Great Black-backed Gulls and over 300 Herring Gulls pass in three hours. At Le Grouet slip were 19 Turnstones , 23 Ringed Plovers , 2 Dunlin and 3 Purple Sandpipers and in Petit Port after fisherman disturbance had ceased, were 4 Grey Plovers , 9 Curlews , 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 9 Great Black-backed Gulls . At Beaumont Marsh this morning were 2 Teal , 350 Brent Geese , 6 Snipe , a Redwing , 3 Song Thrushes , 6 Chiffchaffs , 5 Goldcrests , 2 Firecrests , 5 Blackcaps , 4 Siskins , 3 Water Rails , a Grey Heron and 2 Pied Wagtails . On Beauport Common was a Stonechat and at Gorselands were 2 Dartford Warblers . On the East side of the Island, 59 Lapwings were at Le Catillon and 82 Brent Geese plus 5 Little Egrets were at La Sente, but neither the Greylag Goose nor the adult White-fronted Goose were seen today. Below : Comparison of the La Sente adult Whitefront (left)taken yesterday, and today's first-winter bird, albeit in very different light conditions. Images: left Romano da Costa (RDC) right Mick Dryden (MD)

28.12.2025 A male Stonechat near Kempt Tower MD Another cold day with overcast conditions and a fresh northeasterly wind A Russian White-fronted Goose was with 61 Brent Geese at La Sente this morning, with the single Greylag also still there and 3 Grey Herons . Passing La Coupe were 2 Red-throated Divers, 16 Razorbills , 6 Guillemots , a Mediterranean Gull , a Common Gull , 4 Black-headed Gulls , 6 Gannets and 7 Brent Geese . Overhead there were 18 Song Thrushes and 7 Redwings . At La Rocque were 71 Ringed Plovers , 155 Sanderlings , 120 Dunlin , 68 Redshanks , 18 Curlews , 125 Oystercatchers , 90 Turnstones and, at Fauvic, were 150 Chaffinches . Later on, the White-fronted Goose had moved to Grouville Marsh, with 68 Coot and 2 Ravens also seen. 2 Ringed Plovers and 3 Common Gulls were at Gorey. It was busy again for seabirds off of the West coast. In three hours this morning, seen passing Corbiere were 3,820 Razorbills, 624 Guillemots , a Black-throated Diver , 78 Gannets , 209 Kittiwakes , 47 Mediterranean Gulls , 12 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Common Gulls , 13 Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. At Petit Port were 4 Brent Geese , a pair of Shelduck , a Teal , 33 Curlews , 65 Oystercatchers , 4 Grey Plovers and 30 Turnstones and at Le Grouet Slip were 6 Purple Sandpipers . This afternoon, another White-fronted Goose was on Jubilee Hill in St Ouen's Bay, also 13 Lapwings . In the backfields behind St Ouen's Pond were 138 Lapwings , 120 Brent Geese and 24 Choughs and another 60 Lapwings were on Mont Matthieu. At Sand's Slip were 28 Ringed Plovers , 22 Dunlin and 40+ Sanderlings and near Kempt Tower were 15 Grey Plovers , 18 Turnstones , one Snow Bunting and 2 Skylarks . On Rue de Fauvic were 2000+ finches, mainly Chaffinch but also including 2 Bramblings and a few Linnets . West of St Clement's Church were 37 Cattle Egrets . In Vallee des Vaux were 7 Redwings , a Siskin , a Grey Wagtail, a Sparrowhawk and 2 Ravens . At Beaumont Marsh were 345 Brent Geese , a Grey Wagtail, 3 Little Egrets , 2 Pied Wagtails , 5 Meadow Pipits and 21 Black-headed Gulls . Below : A clip of today's White-fronted Goose at La Sente, by courtesy of Jo Bramley

27.12.2025 Sanderling in St Ouen's Bay today. Image: MD A cloudy morning and a fair afternoon in a cold northeast wind 3 Snow Buntings were in the car park near Kempt Tower this morning, different birds to the recent visiting juvenile, which was seen later. A Stonechat was also there. On the beach nearby were 15 Grey Plovers, 6 Turnstones and 73 Sanderling . Seen from the Wetland Centre were 65 Teal , 11 Shoveler , 2 Tufted Duck , 4 Little Grebes and a Grey Heron while in fields behind the Pond were 100+ Brent Geese with the feral Greylags , also 101 Lapwings . Seabirds moving north through St Ouen's Bay, as counted from Le Pulec, included 2,126 Razorbills, 242 Guillemots , 107 Gannets , 2 Fulmars , 13 Cormorants , 18 Shags , 935 Kittiwakes , 44 Mediterranean Gulls , 26 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Common Gulls, 11 Curlews , also 11 Little Egrets were present and 5 Pied Wagtails . At Petit Port were 38 Curlews , 4 Grey Plovers , 4 Brent Geese and 2 Mediterranean Gulls . In Beaumont Marsh were 329 dark-bellied Brent Geese , 2 Teal , a Grey Heron , a Little Egret and a Blackcap and at Grands Vaux reservoir were 2 Cormorants and a Blackcap . In Vallee des Vaux this evening were 2 Siskins and 26 Redwings coming in to roost, with 10 Woodcock coming out of roost at Dusk.

26.12.2025 Purple Sandpipers near Corbiere this morning Image: MD A cold but clear and sunny day (5c) in a lighter easterly wind than in recent days. It was another morning with good numbers of birds moving past Corbiere with counts in three hours there including a Black-throated Diver , 1,343 Razorbills , 165 Guillemots , 3 Common Scoters , 123 Gannets , a Fulmar , 216 Kittiwakes , 3 Mediterranean Gulls , a Common Gull , 16 Great Black-backed Gulls , a Lapwing , 6 Meadow Pipits and 19 Purple Sandpipers . In Petit Port Bay were 2 Brent Geese , 39 Turnstones , 4 Grey Plovers and 6 Little Egrets . By Sands in St Ouen's Bay were 41 Ringed Plovers , 29 Dunlin , 68 Sanderlings and a Coot sitting in the sea. On St Ouen's Pond were a Caspian Gull , 63 Teal , 18 Shoveler , 2 Tufted Duck , 4 Little Grebes , a Water Pipit . 200 Stock Doves a pale-phase Buzzard and 60 Lapwings . There were also good numbers of Lapwings in a field alongside Hautes Croix in St John and at La Sente were 12 Cattle Egrets , 22 Brent Geese and the single Greylag Goose again. Evening update : At Beaumont Marsh were 240 Brent Geese and a Fieldfare plus 4 Redwings were feeding in a garden in St John near St John's Main Road. 3 Cattle Egrets were at Mont a l'Abbe while at Handois reservoir were 26 Tufted Duck , 82 Mallard , 11 Cormorants , a Grey Wagtail , a Great Spotted Woodpecker , 80 Stock Doves, 7 Goldcrests and 2 Woodcock . 23 Cattle Egrets were by St Saviour's Hospital and another 9 Cattle Egrets plus a Common Gull were at Grouville Marsh. A further 32 Cattle Egrets were on Rue des Cotils. Yesterday , a Caspian Gull was seen and photographed at Petit Port.

25.12.2025 The obligatory Christmas Robin ! MD Snow was reported to have been seen in Jersey overnight, but there were no signs of it by daylight! A very cold day ( +1c - +4c) in cloudy conditions with a fierce easterly wind. Sheltered viewing conditions were recommended in the cold of today and seen from the Wetland centre at St Ouen's Pond were an Avocet which settled on the water, 65 Lapwings , 2 Little Grebes , 15 Shoveler , 47 Teal , 350 Brent Geese , 2 Snipe , a Common Gull , a Water Pipit and a Stonechat . On Sands Slip were 47 Ringed Plovers , 77 Sanderlings , 21 Dunlin and a Turnstone . At Petit Port were 33 Curlews and 5 Mediterranean Gulls. On Mont Matthieu were 11 Lapwings and a pale-phase Buzzard . A brief seawatch from Grosnez saw 25 Razorbills, 17 Gannets, 7 Fulmars, a Lapwing, a Kittiwake, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Harbour Porpoises feeding below the cliff. At Beaumont Marsh were 260 Brent Geese , a Grey Heron and a Curlew . At La Sente were 12 Grey Herons , 8 Little Egrets , 10 Redwings and a single wary Greylag Goose which may well have been a wild bird. At Le Catillon were 58 Lapwings and 20 Common Gulls and in Grouville Marsh were 48 Cattle Egrets . In the centre of the Island, 20 Redwings were at the orchard near Trinity Manor, a single Fieldfare was feeding in a garden in St John, while in Vallee des Vaux were a Grey Heron , a Kestrel , 20 Redwings , a Song Thrush , 2 Short-toed Treecreepers , 2 Blackcaps , 6 Siskins , 8 Long-tailed Tits and a Marsh Harrier . In the cemetery at St Saviour's Church were 2 Siskins and another 6 Redwings . A Merry Christmas to all with thanks for the many contributors to this News Report through 2025