Jersey Birds
12.03.2024 The male Pintail was at St Ouen's Pond again today, but still remaining outside camera range, so until it gives itself up to a decent image, here is a previous visitor to the Island ( seen at Queen's valley) MD
After yesterday's fine weather, it was back to cloudy and at times wet conditions in a moderate southwest wind.
As well as the Pintail at St Ouen's Pond were a Gadwall, 9 Wigeon, 3 Shovelers, 2 Shelduck, 52 Teal, 3 Snipe and late this afternoon,
2 Swallows.
Seen at and passing Seymour over this morning's twelve metre tide were 3 Great Northern Divers, 2 Great Crested Grebes, a Slavonian Grebe, 3 Black-necked Grebes, a Common Scoter, 38 Red-breasted Mergansers, 415 Brent Geese, many of which were arriving from the East, 31 Razorbills, 2 Guillemots, 13 Sandwich Terns, 345 Black-headed Gulls, 13 Mediterranean Gulls, 43 Common Gulls, 7 Kittiwakes, and 8 Gannets. On the falling tide, waders flying up included 320 Dunlin, 43 Sanderlings, 2 Ringed Plovers, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 53 Grey Plovers and 32 Turnstones, also 2 Peregrines which were operating offshore. At La Sente were a pair of Shelduck, 100+ Brent Geese, 5 Greenshanks, 44 Redshanks, a Curlew, 35 Cattle Egrets, 12 Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons and a Marsh Harrier.
A Short-eared Owl was a good find in Ronez Quarry at lunchtime, while on Queen's Valley reservoir were a Kingfisher, 2 Teal and 4 Tufted Duck.
In St Aubin's Bay, at St Aubin were 41 pale-bellied Brent Geese, 5 dark-bellied Brent Geese and 27 Redshanks and on Beaumont Marsh were 200 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 5 Shovelers, 6 Pied Wagtails, a Siskin and a Firecrest. On the cricket field at St Michael's School in St Saviour were 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls with 70 Herring Gulls, 34 Pied Wagtails and 2 White Wagtails. A Grey Wagtail was on Grands Vaux reservoir.
In Valled des Vaux, visiting a garden feeder there were 14 Siskins, 6 Bullfinches and 3 Blackcaps, with 2 Woodcock seen there at last light yesterday. 60 Chaffinches were in Talavera Lane.
Mick Dryden
Romano da Costa
Tony Paintin
