Jersey Birds

11.01.2024   Teal at Kempt Tower pools   MD

A dry, cloudy, but less cold day today (7c) in a fresh northeast wind

Plenty of birds to be found scattered around the Island today, but first - offshore, where passing by La Coupe were a Great Northern Diver, 2 Black-throated Divers, 33 Red-throated Divers, a female Eider, 8 Common Scoters, 32 Brent Geese, a Great Crested Grebe, 220 Razorbills, 2 Guillemots, 13 Gannets, 15 Common Gulls, 4 Kittiwakes, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and onshore, a pale-phase Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk.

Passing Corbiere were 13 Brent Geese, 1500 Razorbills, 3 Guillemots, 6 Wigeon, a Common Scoter, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, 5 Kittiwakes, 10 Gannets, also a Raven and a Red Kite!  Feeding at the north end of St Ouen's Bay were 97 Gannets, hundreds of auks, mostly Razorbills and a few Kittiwakes, also a single Curlew was there.

In St Ouen's Bay, 3 Shovelers and 4 Tufted Duck were at Kempt Tower pools, a Bittern, a Grey Heron, 26 Shovelers, 23 Wigeon, 3 Tufted Duck, 5 Gadwall, 41 Teal, 2 Peregrines and a Hen Harrier were at St Ouen's Pond, 92 Lapwings were on the Scrape and 112 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Common Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull were on the beach. In the Sandpits were 28 Tufted Duck, 10 Pochard, 2 Teal and 9 Little Grebes and in the backfields were 65 Brent Geese and 16 Chough.  550 Brent Geese were in Rue des Hetres and at Beaumont Marsh were 75 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 10 pale-bellied Brent Geese, 8 Shovelers and a Teal.  100 Chaffinches were on Rue du Sud. A Great Crested Grebe was released from care today on the Sandpits - so one to look out for.

At La Sente were 250 Brent Geese, 7 Lapwings, 2 Shelduck, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Gadwall and a Grey Heron. In fields by La Rue du Moulin a Vent were 6 Skylarks and a Short-eared Owl and 40+ Cattle Egrets were seen flying over towards St Clement. Another 7 Cattle Egrets were near Victoria Village and 10 Tufted Duck were on Grands Vaux reservoir. In St Helier, was a roost of 150 alba Wagtails at the Marina.

Details on the colour-ringed Rock Pipit, pictured beautifully here on Grouville Bay seawall by Romano, confirm that it was ringed in Norway, on Giske Island, Makkevika  ( 62.30N 06.02E) in April 2021.  See map below ( courtesy of Google Earth) an epic journey for a Rock Pipit!