Jersey Birds

28.05.2026 With only a couple of pairs of Lapwings present and the usual predation, hope was almost gone for any young birds surviving this year - until today when one appeared, fairly well grown, on the Scrape and being protected by all four adults! Fingers crossed. Image: today's single juvenile in two different poses MD A slightly different day from the recent, with morning showers keeping the temperature to a mere 30c in a light easterly wind. While things are quiet around the Island with breeding in full swing, seabird numbers are slowly improving with counts from Corbiere this morning including 87 Balearic Shearwaters, 76 Manx Shearwaters , 5 Fulmars , a Common Scoter , a Shelduck , 15 Gannets , 17 Guillemots , 32 Shags , 7 Cormorants , 4 Black-headed Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull, 5 Kittiwakes, 52 Great Black-backed Gulls and 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, with 2 Ravens and 2 Swifts also seen. Off Plemont were 8 Razorbills , a Puffin carrying food, 7 Balearic Shearwaters and a Bottle-nosed Dolphin with a Raven , 2 Swifts and 8 Linnets also there. 2 Shelduck were at Petit Port. A Black-winged Stilt was seen briefly, dropping down onto St Ouen's Pond and on the Scrape at were 4 Lapwings guarding a juvenile bird, 4 Shelduck , 2 Oystercatchers , a Grey Heron , 5 Swifts and a Clouded Yellow butterfly. Also at the Pond were 14 Tufted Ducks , 2 Grey Herons , 25 Reed Warblers , 2 Stonechats , and at Sunset Nurseries were a singing Cetti's Warbler , 6 pairs of Reed Warblers including 2 pairs collecting food. At Pontac was a pair of Shelduck and on the Parade in St Helier were White Wagtails feeding 2 juveniles.

27.05.2026 Cormorants passing Corbiere MD Another blisteringly hot day, reaching at least 32c in a moderate easterly wind. Today's early seabird movement past Corbiere involved 34 Balearic Shearwaters , 58 Manx Shearwaters , 5 Fulmars , 22 Gannets , 5 Shelducks , 5 Cormorants , 2 Cattle Egrets , 22 Shags , a Mediterranean Gull , 4 Kittiwakes , 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , and also a Peregrine and a single Swift . 2 pairs of Shelducks were in Petit Port Bay early on. 7 Swifts were at St Aubin and a male Cirl Bunting was on Grouville Common. In the Sandpits at Le Braye were a female Gadwall , 4 Tufted Ducks , 2 Grey Herons , 2 Little Egrets , 20 Sand Martins, 2 Whitethroats , 3 Stonechats and a White Wagtail . A male Wigeon was standing on the roof of a nearby house! At Plemont were 2 Puffins , 5 Razorbills , 8 Swifts , 2 Dartford Warblers , 8 Fulmars , 2 Choughs and 5 Swallows . Yesterday , a White Wagtail was seen feeding a fledged juvenile at La Hougue Bie and another White Wagtail was collecting food in La Motte Street, St Helier.

26.05.2026 A male Marsh Harrier sheltering from the sun near Kempt Tower. MD Another day of record temperatures for May in Jersey, reaching close on 34c in a southeasterly wind. The seabirds were moving early today and all had gone quiet at Corbiere by 08:00. Before that happened, 23 Balearic Shearwaters , 38 Manx Shearwaters , 2 Common Scoters , 2 Guillemots , 9 Gannets , 3 Cormorants , 4 Kittiwakes , 41 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull had passed by, also 2 Swifts . Butterflies are around in exceptional numbers, particularly Painted Ladies , with a probable Large Tortoiseshel l also flying by. Seen from the Scrape Hide this morning were 2 pairs of Shelducks , 2 Tufted Ducks , 4 Lapwings , 2 Oystercatchers , 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 6 Swifts . At Kempt Tower were the family of 6 Coot , a Little Grebe and a Whitethroat . In the Sandpits were 11 Tufted Ducks , 39 Coot and 10 Great Black-backed Gulls and at Le Pulec were a Little Egret , 3 pairs of Oystercatchers and 5 Rock Pipits . In the Plemont area were 5 Swifts , 2 Dartford Warblers , 18 Linnets , 2 Stock Doves , 4 Jackdaws , a juvenile Goldfinch and 4 Swallows collecting mud. Elsewhere, a Garden Warbler was on La Rue du Moulin des Bas and another Garden Warbler was on Route d'Ebenezer. 4 Swifts were at St Aubin.

25.05.2026 A young Starling taking a cool bath at the Scrape today MD The heatwave continued today with clear skies, an easterly breeze and a record May temperature for the Island of 32c ! Early seabird movement past Corbiere this morning included the first 2 Balearic Shearwaters seen from shore this year, 62 Manx Shearwaters , a Fulmar , 3 Guillemots , 3 Shelducks , 20 Gannets , 2 Cormorants , 4 Mediterranean Gulls , 3 Kittiwakes , 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 53 Great Black-backed Gulls , also 2 Swifts and 2 Swallows . At St Ouen's Pond were a Shoveler , a Grey Heron , 3 Tufted Ducks , a pair of Stonechat , the usual Reed Warblers and Cetti's Warbler plus a Clouded Yellow butterfly and 20 Painted Ladies which have been in very good supply on the Island for the last few days. At the Scrape, there was no sign of yesterday's Black-winged Stilts , but seen there were 4 Redshanks , the Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Goose , 2 Tufted Ducks , 4 Lapwings , 2 Oystercatchers and 3 Shelducks , one of which was an intruding female which was rapidly escorted from the scene by the male. At the back of the Blanches Banques in St Ouen's Bay yesterday were 2 pairs of Stonechats and 2 pairs of Dartford Warblers and at Kempt Tower this morning were 3 singing Whitethroats . Evening update : 2 Black-winged Stilts reappeared on the Scrape, around 6pm, having been missing all day until then. 5 Cirl Buntings were counted on Grouville Common.

24.05.2026 An adult Little Grebe at Kempt Tower pools MD A clear and hot day, reaching 30c in a moderate Easterly wind. Early birds passing Corbiere this morning included 2 Manx Shearwaters , a flock of 9 Common Scoters , 6 Guillemots , 15 Gannets , 27 Shags , 2 Common Terns , 5 Kittiwakes , 46 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Swifts , 2 Swallows , also 12 Bottle-nosed Dolphins . In Les Ormes Valley were a Garden Warbler and a family of Dartford Warblers , while in the Sandpits were 3 Shelducks . 2 Shelduck were at Le Pulec and 2 Swifts , a Blackcap and a Reed Warbler were at Plemont. At a quiet Grouville Marsh this morning were 25 Reed Warblers , 8 Cetti's Warblers , a Great Spotted Woodpecker , 3 Swifts and a Sparrowhawk , while a pale-phase Buzzard was at Le Catillon, 2 Swifts were at Grouville Church and 4 Tufted Ducks and a Grey Heron were at Grands Vaux. A Spotted Flycatcher was near to Warren Farm at Noirmont, with a 2 Whitethroats and 4 Swallows also seen there, collecting nesting material from the horse field. At Pont Marquet were a singing Song Thrush, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Short-toed Treecreeper, a Firecrest, a Goldcrest and several Blackcaps . Evening update: There were two Black-winged Stilts of the Scrape this afternoon, plumage differences indicate different birds to Friday's. Below : Thanks go to Jo Bramley again, for this short clip of the Black-winged Stilts at the Scrape this week.

23.05.2026 A Razorbill with fish, in perfect light this morning off the North Coast. MD After yesterday's 27c, a cooler day, mainly clear and sunny but a few foggy interludes on the West coast, with winds from the northwest. New birds to report today include a Honey Buzzard pictured over Mont Les Vaux late this morning and a Dotterel which flew over Gorselandds late yesterday evening. At Kempt Tower pools were 2 Marsh Harriers , 3 Tufted Ducks , a female Stonechat , 2 Blackcaps with young, a Whitethroat and a Coot family with 4 young. On Beauport Common were a family of 3 Dartford Warblers and a Whitethroat with another Whitethroat at Gorselands. On Ouaisne Common were a Garden Warbler , several Blackcaps and Reed Warblers , 2 Buzzards and a Jackdaw . 4 Ravens were seen over St Helier. A quiet morning at Grosnez saw 6 Kittiwakes , 6 Gannets , 7 Swifts , 6 Swallows and one Yellow Wagtail flying over, and along the North coast were 16 Razorbills and 3 Puffins .

22.05.2026 One of today's Spotted Flycatchers , this one pictured at Kempt Tower pools. Thanks to Tom Frazer for the nice image. The hot weather has arrived, with 27c recorded today in a south-southeasterly wind New on the scene were two Black-winged Stilts, present through the day but elusive at times.Also on and around the Scrape were 3 Shelduck , including the manic male, 4 Lapwings , 2 Oystercatchers , 2 Whinchats and a family of 4 Stonechats . Flying over were 7 Little Egrets , 3 Tufted Ducks , a male Wigeon and several Swifts . On St Ouen's Pond were 11 Tufted Ducks . At Kempt Tower pools were Little Grebe , a family of 6 Coot , a Spotted Flycatcher and Blackcaps feeding young. Extras to a National Trust survey of the Pond area were a Sedge Warbler , 3 Shovelers , 2 Little Egrets , 2 Shelduck and 3 pairs of Stonechats . Off Corbiere first thing were 4 Manx Shearwaters , 10 Guillemots , 4 Shelducks , 15 Gannets , 6 Kittiwakes , 4 distant terns , which included 2 Common Terns and two possible Roseate Terns , but too far out to be confirmed. Also passing were a Whimbrel and a Peregrine. Off the northwest coast were 10 Razorbills and a Guillemot . At Les landes were a male Stonechat with a juvenile near the Pinnacle. At Elizabeth Harbour were 12 Swifts , with Oystercatchers , Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding in the area. Elsewhere, another Spotted Flycatcher was near Quetivel Mill in St Peter's Valley, a White Wagtail was at Grantez and a Whitethroat plus a Dartford Warbler at Les Vaux Cuissin - a new site for both species. Below : A distant view of one of the Black-winged Stilts on the Scrape MD

21.05.2026 The new Jersey Bird Report , for 2025, is now available from The Societe Jersiaise in Pier Road, or Costa Electrics. MD A fine day at last, with warmer conditions in a light southeast wind. The shift in wind brought one or two new birds to the Island overnight, with 2 Spotted Flycatchers at St Ouen's Pond and at least 2 Lesser Whitethroats on Ouaisne Common. Also on the north side of St Ouen's Pond were 20 Reed Warblers , 3 Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat , a family of Long-tailed Tits , a singing Reed Bunting , 4 Skylarks , a Shelduck , 3 male Shovelers , 4 Tufted Ducks , 15 Swifts , a Sparrowhawk and an overflying Cattle Egret . Also at Ouaisne were 2 Reed Warblers , a Whitethroat , 2 male Dartford Warblers and a Grey Heron which dropped into Le Val. Another 2 Dartford Warblers were on Portelet Common, as well as a fledged family of Long-tailed Tits and 2 Short-toed Treecreepers . At Noirmont were 3 Whitethroats , yet another family of Long-tailed Tits , a pair of Bullfinches , a Song Thrush , a singing Greenfinch and 2 more Short-toed Treecreepers . A visit to Les Ecrehous this morning found 100+ Common Terns , a Sandwich Tern, 100+ Oystercatchers , 4 Whimbrels , 8 Grey Plovers, 2 Turnstones , a Greenshank , a Redshank and 19 Little Egrets. In St Peter's Valley were 6 Tufted Ducks and still more fledged Long-tailed Tits. Below: One of today's Lesser Whitethroats at Ouaisne. MD

20.05.2026 A Whitethroat in song near the Scrape MD Overcast with drizzle through the morning, before the skies cleared with an anicyclone approaching and the promise of better conditions in the days ahead. Winds today were from the southwest. Firstly, a report from yesterday , when a Hoopoe was seen near to St Georges School in St Peter. Off Le Pulec this morning were 7 Manx Shearwaters , a Shelduck , a Fulmar , 7 Gannets , 2 Kittiwakes , a Whimbrel , 25 Shags and a Peregrine , while earlier on at Corbiere were 10 Manx Shearwaters , another Shelduck , 12 Gannets , 34 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Swifts and a Swallow . In the Plemont area this morning were 12 Swifts , 3 House Martins , 7 Swallows , 40 Linnets , a Kestrel , 4 Choughs , a Jackdaw , a pair of Marsh Harrier and a Painted Lady butterfly. At St Ouen's Pond were 3 Shelduck , 5 Tufted Ducks , a male Shoveler , a male Stonechat , 120 Swallows , House Martins and Sand Martins feeding low over the water, also 4 Swifts . North of the Pond, Stonechats were feeding fledged young. At Fountain Lane were a Marsh Harrier and a Cetti's Warbler and at Grands Vaux were 7 Tufted Duck and 11 Swifts . 3 Swifts and 3 Swallows were at St Catherine and a male Cirl Bunting was on Grouville Common.