by Michael Dryden
•
7 July 2026
07.07.2026 Sedge Warbler at the Scrape yesterday. MD A fine and hot day (30c) in light winds. Evening update : A Quail was seen in flight at Portelet this evening and 10 Storm Petrels were off the West coast, also a raft of c200 shearwaters were near Corbiere. In St Ouen's Bay were 92 Great Black-backed Gulls and 66 Lesser Black-backed Gulls .6 Swifts were seen over St Helier. The glut of shearwaters off the West coast continued today, with an estimated 2000 - 3000, mainly Balearic Shearwaters , feeding off Le Pulec with gulls. Seen passing Corbiere and heading in that direction were 389 Balearic Shearwaters , 13 Manx Shearwaters , 7 Guillemots , 57 Gannets , 7 Cormorants , 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 6 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Black-headed Gulls . Also seen were a Curlew heading South and 2 Swifts . In Petit Port Bay were 26 Curlews and a Whimbrel and at Le Pulec were 22 Curlews . Around St Ouen's Pond were 2 Grey Herons , a Common Sandpiper , a Sedge Warbler , 2 Whitethroats , 2 pairs of Stonechats feeding young and many pairs of Reed Warblers doing likewise. On the Scrape, the 2 Lapwings were still present with their chick, also 2 Oystercatchers and a White Wagtail and around Kempt Tower were a little Grebe , 2 Stonechats , a singing Whitethroat , several pairs of Reed Warblers and a family of 5 Swallows . At La Haule in St Aubin's Bay were 230 Black-headed Gulls , 25 Mediterranean Gulls, including 5 juveniles, and at St Aubin were 4 Redshanks . A Stonechat was on Beauport Common and a Dartford Warbler was at Gorselands. At Crabbe this morning were 4 Swifts , 2 Swallows , 2 Dartford Warblers , 3 Whitethroats , 2 Ravens , 2 Peregrines and good numbers of Linnets . In St Catherine's Woods were 2 Firecrests , 4 Short-toed Treecreepers , a Bullfinch , 8 House Martins , 5 Swallows and Moorhens on a second brood of 2 chicks. Back to yesterday evening when, in La Braye Sandpits were 220 Coot, 48 Tufted Ducks, 2 Little Grebes , 6 Swifts , an estimated 60 Sand Martins and 2 juvenile Marsh Harriers .