Jersey Birds

09.01.2024  A Snipe in the snow at the Scrape this morning  MD

It seldom snows in Jersey, but it did this morning. Temperatures remained around freezing all day in a light to moderate Easterly wind

Many birds took shelter at La Sente today, including 4 Gadwall, an Egyptian Goose, 4 Snipe, 400+ Brent Geese - one of them pale-bellied, a Raven, 2 Cattle Egrets, 19 Grey Herons, 5 Little Egrets, 21 Lapwings, 4 Greenshanks, 12 Redshanks and a Grey Plover. On Grouville Common and seawall were 13 Rock Pipits, one with a Norwegian colour-ring, 8 Stonechats, 10 Pied Wagtails, 2 Shelduck, 25 Sanderlings, 14 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plovers and a Peregrine.  A Water Pipit was at La Rocque and at La Lourderie, St Clement, were 2 Snipe, two Stonechats and a Bullfinch. At Grouville Marsh were 18 Lapwings and a Cattle Egret.

Very little was moving at sea with just 4 Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and 6 Razorbills in two hours at La Coupe, and off Corbiere another Great Northern Diver and 4 Gannets.  3 Teal and a Siskin were at Queen's Valley.

On St Ouen's Pond Scrape were 10 Brent Geese, 22 Teal, 2 Shovelers, 2 Gadwall, 55 Snipe, 45 Lapwings and 2 Pied Wagtails.

At  Beaumont Marsh were 200 Brent Geese, a Curlew and a Grey Wagtail.

A Cattle Egret was at Victoria Village while at Noirmont where tree surgeons were busy at work in the copse, repairing damage from Storm Ciaran, were 2 Marsh Harriers and 2 overflying Lapwings.

In Vallee des Vaux were 7 Fieldfares, and another overflying Lapwing, 2 Siskins, 2 Grey Wagtails, 4 Redwings, a Song Thrush singing despite everything and 4 Woodcock over at Dusk. Another Grey Wagtail was by the Opera House in St Helier.

Below: Norwegian ringed Rock Pipit at Grouville Common this morning  , image courtesy of Romano da Costa