Jersey Birds

17.03.2025 An adult Gannet passing close in at Grosnez this morning. MD A fine day but cold in a fresh to strong east-northeast wind. Good numbers of birds were passing Grosnez in the blustery conditions through the morning, although nothing unusual. Counts there included 2 Red-throated Divers, a single Guillemot , 77 Fulmars , 57 Gannets , 5 Kittiwakes , a Black-headed Gull , a Common Gull , 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 11 Great Black-backed Gulls , 170 Herring Gulls , also 72 Meadow Pipits , an alba Wagtail , a Raven and 8 Crows which arrived from the North. Two Porpoises were there through the morning to attract interest from the birds, as they fed. On St Ouen's Pond were 3 Sand Martins , 5 Little Grebes , 22 Shovelers , 9 Teal , a Chiffchaff and a Cetti's Warbler , while at the Scrape were 240 Brent Geese , 10 Wigeon , 13 Teal , 2 Shelduck , 8 Lapwings , 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 4 Black-headed Gulls . In the Sandpits were 2 Little Grebes , 44 Tufted Duck , 2 Wigeon , 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , a singing Cetti's Warbler and a pair of Marsh Harriers . 60 Brent Geese were at L'Etacq and on Mont Matthieu were a Stonechat and another Cetti's Warbler . Seen at La Sente were 350 Brent Geese , 2 Shelduck , a 7 White Wagtails and 7 Pied Wagtails, and just 2 Redshanks , while across at the Happy Hens were 2 Cattle Egrets . Another 15 Cattle Egrets were following a ploughing tractor in Maufant. 7 Brent Geese were in Rozel Harbour. In Vallee des Vaux were a Grey Wagtail and a singing Firecrest . In Grouville Bay were 40 Sanderling and 28 Black-headed Gulls . At St Aubin were 20 pale-bellied Brent Geese , 13 Redshanks and 9 Turnstones and on Ruelle es Ruaux were 330 Brent Geese which included another 20 pale-bellied birds. A Redwing was on Mont a l'Abbe and 8 Tufted Duck and a Grey Heron were on Queen's Valley reservoir. Extras for yesterday evening were a Short-eared Owl at Egypt and a Snipe on Mont Mado. A happy Porpoise at Grosnez today, one of two which were attracting lots of interest from passing Gannets. MD

15.03.2025 Sanderling on alert at Sands this morning MD The cold conditions continue, with wintry showers in a northeast wind The Scrape continues to attract attention and around it this morning were 300+ Brent Geese , 10 Wigeon , 16 Teal , 7 Lapwings , 30 Starlings , a Skylark , a Chiffchaff and overhead, 5 Marsh Harriers and 3 Buzzards including one pale-phase bird. On St Ouen's Pond were 22 Shovelers , 2 Tufted Duck , a Little Grebe and a Chiffchaff by the Wetland Centre. 5 Sanderlings were roosting on Sands slipway. At La Sente were a Little Ringed Plover, 43 Redshanks , a pair of Shelduck and 2 Ravens , while at the Happy Hens were 10 Little Egrets and a single Cattle Egret . Seen during a brief seawatch at Corbiere were 2 Common Scoters , a Razorbill , 4 Fulmars , 12 Gannets , 3 Cormorants , 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 3 Kittiwakes and 3 Meadow Pipits off the sea. 2 Peregrines were hunting there and 11 Brent Geese were at Petit Port. 13 Redshanks were in St Aubin's Harbour and at Beaumont Marsh were 300 Brent Geese , 2 Teal, 2 Firecrests , a Goldcrest , a Grey Wagtail and 3 Ravens . At Semour later, were 172 Grey Plovers and 280 Dunlin . In Rozel Valley was a Grey Wagtail and on a garden feeder at Le Huquet in St Martin were 60 Starlings and a Stock Dove .A Grey Heron was in a field on Rue de la Garenne. In Vallee des Vaux were 2 Bullfinches , 4 Greenfinches , 2 Firecrests , a Goldcrest , a Blackcap and a Grey Wagtail and 7 Woodcock flew out of roost this evening, also a Barn Owl .

14.03.2025 Thanks go to Jane Richardson for this nice image of a Wheatear at Grosnez. JR A cold day ( max 7c) with some hail showers early on in a north-northeast wind The current cold airflow seems to have slowed down the arrival of migrants, except at sea where, off of Corbiere, 10 Common Scoters , a Red - breasted Merganser , 129 Razorbills, 12 Guillemots , a Brent Goose , 20 Cormorants , 116 Kittiwakes , 3 Common Gull s, a White Wagtail and 12 Meadow Pipits passed, before the hail put paid to their ambitions. 2 Peregrines were also seen, a Wheatear was by the Radio Tower and a surprising arrival of a Magpie fro the West! At Petit Port were 2 Shelduck, 12 Brent Geese , an immature Yellow-legged Gull and 17 Curlews . Not much had changed in St Ouen's Bay, apart from 2 Wheatears , 2 Pied Wagtails and a White Wagtail at Sands. On St Ouen's Pond were 21 Shovelers and at the Scrape were 220 Brent Geese , 24 Teal , 10 Wigeon ( also seen on the Pond later), 6 Lapwings , 2 Oystercatchers , 3 Snipe and 2 White Wagtails . At Kempt Tower were 6 Shovelers , 4 Tufted Duck , a singing Little Grebe and 3 Chiffchaffs . 14 pale-bellied Brent Geese and a singing Little Grebe were at Ouaisne, another 53 pale-bellied Brent Geese were at St Aubin and 60 dark-bellied Brent were by the Gunsite in St Aubin's Bay. At La Sente were 41 Redshanks , 2 Shelduck and 4 White Wagtails , while at the upper end of Queen's Valley reservoir were a pair of Teal , 5 Tufted Duck , a Grey Wagtail and 7 Chiffchaffs . In Rozel Harbour were another 2 dark-bellied Brent Geese . Evening update : 5 Woodcock flew out of a roost in Vallee des Vaux at Dusk.

13.03.2025 A Lapwing displaying at the Scrape MD A cold and cloudy day with a northeast wind. Most of yesterday's migrants had moved on today with a single Wheatears at Grosnez and St Ouen's Pond Scrape and 6 Sand Martins over St Ouen's Pond plus several alba Wagtails reported . At La Sente were 2 Shelduck , 41 Redshanks , 4 Brent Geese , 6 Cattle Egrets , 18 alba Wagtails , mostly White Wagtails and 60 Chaffinches . In Grouville Bay, at Le Hurel were 36 Common Gulls, 8 Black-headed Gulls and 11 Little Egrets , while at Gorey were another 7 Common Gulls and 5 Great Crested Grebes . 3 Cirl Buntings were on Grouville Common. Passing, or at La Rocque at first light were 172 Brent Geese , 8 Red-breasted Mergansers , a Great Crested Grebe , 4 Gannets , 3 Common Gulls, 8 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 255 Sanderlings , 9 Dunlin , 85 Grey Plovers , 24 Turnstones and 2 Grey Herons . On St Ouen's Pond and Scrape were 166 Brent Geese , 10 Wigeon , 20 Teal , 6 Lapwings , 5 Chiffchaffs , 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 8 Marsh Harriers and 3 Buzzards . Evening update : At Grands Vaux reservoir today were a Grey Heron, 5 Chiffchaffs and 2 Tufted Ducks and in Queen's Valley were 2 Teal , 2 Tufted Ducks and 2 Chiffchaffs . At Grouville Marsh were another 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Water Rails, also a singing Cetti's Warbler . In Vallee des Vaux this evening were 7 Woodcock and by South Hill Gym in St Helier was a Barn Owl. Yesterday's Woodcock count over Vallee des Vaux was 9 birds

12.03.2025 A Skylark between song bursts, by the Scrape car park this morning MD Another cold day (7c) in mostly cloudy conditions and a light to moderate northeast wind. After yesterday's first arrival of Wheatears , today saw even more today with 11 north of St Ouen's Pond, 3 near the Scrape, 6 at Crabbe and 3 at Plemont. At La Sente there were 3 Little Ringed Plovers as well as 2 Shelduck , 16 Redshanks , a Greenshank, 9 alba Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail . 13 Little Egrets were at Fauvic, 9 Tufted Ducks , a Grey Wagtail and 8 Chiffchaffs were by the upper pond at Queen's Valley with 2 Firecrests singing there, and another Chiffchaff , 4 Greenfinches and 6 Linnets were on Grouville Common. In Grouville Bay were 24 Great Crested Grebes , 14 Black-headed Gulls , 6 Common Gulls and 350 Brent Geese . A Grey Heron was at Grouville Marsh. Passing Corbiere in two hours this morning were 35 Common Scoters , a Red-throated Diver , 2 Shelduck , 28 dark-bellied Brent Geese and a single pale-bellied Brent Goose , 4 Guillemots , 2 Razorbills , 3 Fulmars , 32 Gannets , 4 Cormorants , a Kittiwake , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 26 Crows heading West, an alba Wagtail and 11 Bottle-nosed Dolphins , with a Peregrine hunting there too. 31 Razorbills were at Plemont, where a male Black Redstart was seen yesterday, and in Petit Port Bay were 12 Curlews and 26 Brent Geese . The first Swallow of the year was over St Ouen's Pond this morning along with 18 Sand Martins . On the Pond were 19 Shovelers , 6 Teal , a Pochard , a Tufted Duck and 3 Little Grebes with 2 Reed Buntings , a Water Pipit , 2 Skylarks and a Stonechat also there. Marsh Harriers were in display mode there too. On the Scrape were 45 Brent Geese , 22 Teal , 10 Wigeon , an immature Grey Heron, 2 Oystercatchers , a Redshank , 6 Lapwings , a Water Rail a Chiffchaff and 3 overflying alba Wagtails . North of the Pond were 2 Stonechats and 2 Chiffchaffs . On Kempt Tower pools were 8 Shovelers , 3 Little Grebes and further Chiffchaffs . In Rue de la Hauter in Trinity, were 6 Redwings , a Song Thrush , Goldfinches and Chaffinches , also a Sparrowhawk nearby. At a very chilly Les Landes were 6 Choughs , 3 Marsh Harriers, a Grey Heron and a flight of 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 6 Tufted Ducks were on Grands Vaux reservoir . Yesterday evening, 8 Woodcock flew over Vallee des Vaux, where a Barn Owl was calling.

1 1.03.2025 Brent Geese arriving on the Scrape MD A cold and overcast day with periods of rain, winds from the northeast. On a day when the afternoon temperature had dropped to 6c, Spring migrants started to appear. At Least 12 Sand Martins were seen over St Ouen's Pond, 6 Wheatears were at Les Landes with another by the Cutty Sark in St Ouen's Bay and a Little Ringed Plover was at La Sente for it's second day. Visible migrants began arriving at Corbiere from first light, with a Fieldfare , 131 Meadow Pipits , 5 alba Wagtails and 4 Starlings seen. Also at or passing Corbiere were 48 Brent Geese , 55 Razorbills , 2 Fulmars , 8 Gannets , 14 Cormorants and 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in two hours there. 2 Peregrines and a Raven were also seen. In Petit Port Bay were 81 Brent Geese and 12 Curlews . On St Ouen's Pond were 23 Shovelers , 2 Pochard , 2 Tufted Duck and a singing Skylark close by. At the Scrape were 11 Brent Geese , the Pink-footed Goose and Barnacle Goose , the resident Whooper Swan , 31 Teal , 10 Wigeon , 6 Lapwings , a Snipe , a Sparrowhawk and at least 4 Chiffchaffs . On the Sandpit was a pair of Wigeon . Also at La Sente were 88 Cattle Egrets again, 2 Shelduck , 24 Black-headed Gulls , a Common Gull , 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 32 Redshanks and 45 mixed White and Pied Wagtails . At Grouville Marsh were a Grey Wagtail , a Redwing , a Grey Heron and 8 Chiffchaffs and in Grouville Bay were 7 Common Gulls , a Black-headed Gull and on the Common, 2 Chiffchaffs . At Queen's Valley were a Firecrest and another 7 Chiffchaffs . 20 pale-bellied Brent Geese were at Ouaisne and at Grands Vaux were 10 Chiffchaffs , some of them with sooty noses.

10.03.2025 A nice selection of the 88 Cattle Egrets which appeared at La Sente today, with thanks to Alan Gicquel for the image AG A mainly overcast day with some light rain, feeling mild in a moderate southeast wind. La Sente featured well today, with the 88 Cattle Egrets present, almost certainly a day record for any site in Jersey. This afternoon, the first Little Ringed Plover of the year visited there, with others seen today including 2 Shelduck , 30 Redshanks , 2 Curlews and 4 White Wagtails. At La Rocque this afternoon were a Great Northern Diver , a Slavonian Grebe , 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 81 Grey Plovers , 90 Sanderlings , 60 Dunlin , 55 Curlews , 22 Turnstones , 2 Redshanks and 3 Greenshanks , with 8 Common Scoters in Grouville Bay. It was a little busier at Corbiere than in recent days and seen passing were 263 Razorbills , 12 Guillemots , a flock of 24 Teal moving North, 61 Brent Geese , 2 Fulmars , 15 Gannets , 9 Cormorants , 31 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 2 Common Gulls , 4 Mediterranean Gulls , 4 Black-headed Gulls , 2 Peregrines with food, 3 White Wagtails and a Chiffchaff which arrived from the southwest and landed on the first convenient rock. At Petit Port after this afternoon's high tide were 17 Curlews , 7 Brent Geese , a Cormorant , 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Grey Seal . On St Ouen's Pond were 22 Shovelers , 9 Teal , a Pochard , 2 Little Grebes , 10 Brent Geese , 2 Snipe and 4 Marsh Harriers . On a busy Scrape were 120 Brent Geese , the Pink-footed Goose and Barnacle Goose , 2 Shelduck , 38 Teal , 10 Wigeon with another 4 flying over towards the Pond, and 6 Lapwings . In St Brelade's Bay were 8 Brent Geese and at Beaumont Marsh were 2 Teal , 60 Starlings , 2 Long-tailed Tits , 2 White Wagtails and a Marsh Harrier . A Kingfisher was in St Helier Marina. This evening in the Marina was a roost of 90 White Wagtails and 30 Pied Wagtails . In Bouley Bay were a Grey Wagtail and a Grey Heron and in Rozel Harbour were 4 dark-bellied Brent Geese . A Redwing was at Mont a l'Abbe this evening Below : This morning's Chiffchaff at Corbiere, resting after it's very late arrival for a nocturnal migrant.

09.03.2025 A Shag ( or Green Cormorant as it is sometimes known) passing Grosnez MD A cloudy but mild day in a moderate easterly wind. In St Ouen's Bay, starting at the Pond, were 4 Shovelers , 2 male Pochard , a Tufted Duck and 2 Little Grebes while on the Scrape were 72 Brent Geese , 16 Teal , a pair of Shelduck , the Pink-footed Goose and Barnacle Goose , a Redshank , 6 Lapwings and 40 Starlings . On Kempt Tower pools were 15 Shovelers , 7 Tufted Ducks , a pair of Little Grebe singing, 7 Coot and a Moorhen , with 2 Marsh Harriers overhead. At Le Pulec were 16 Curlews , 2 Cormorants , a Shag and 2 Little Egrets . In Petit Port Bay were a pair of Shelduck , a single Curlew , 7 Brent Geese and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls . Moving East past Grosnez were 158 Lesser Black-backed Gulls ( incuding several intermedius ), 170 Herring Gulls, a Common Gull , a Mediterranean Gull , a Kittiwake , 12 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Guillemots , a Razorbill , 54 Shags , 4 Cormorants , 2 Porpoises and 25+ Bottle-nosed Dolphins . Just a handful of passerines headed off North including 3 Meadow Pipits , 4 Goldfinches , 2 Linnets and also 17 Crows . At La Sente this morning were 41 Cattle Egrets , 16 Little Egrets , 16 Redshanks , a Greenshank , a pair of Shelduck , 2 White Wagtails and 3 Pied Wagtails . Around or flying over La Rocque were 100+ Brent Geese , 8 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Kingfisher . and at Grouville Marsh were 3 Common Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull . At Webber's Lane were 37 Brent Geese and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers . In Vallee des Vaux were 2 Bullfinches , 4 Greenfinches , a singing Goldcrest , a Firecrest , a singing "sooty-nosed" Chiffchaff and a Sparrowhawk , while in Le Petit Pre, opposite Trinity School, were 2 Firecrests , 2 Chiffchaffs and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker . A Dartford Warbler was singing at Noirmont this morning, while at Ouaisne were 12 Chiffchaffs including "sooty-nosed" birds, a Firecrest , a Snipe and a Raven . At Beaumont Marsh were 240 Brent Geese , a Teal , 11 Moorhens, 2 Pied Wagtails and a Firecrest , and off of Gorselands were a Peregrine and a Gannet . Evening update: Extras at La Rocque included 41 Curlews , 123 Oystercatchers , 11 Redshanks , 4 Greenshanks , 97 Grey Plovers , 63 Turnstones , 30 Sanderlings , 53 Dunlin , 7 Red-breasted Mergansers , 509 Brent Geese and 9 Ringed Plovers with another 111 Brent Geese at Seymour. A Crossbill flew over Mont les Vaux this afternoon and 5 Woodcock were over Vallee des Vaux this evening at Dusk. In St Peter's Valley near the Battle of Flowers shed were 2 Bullfinches , a Chaffinch , Chiffchaff , a Firecrest and a Goldcrest and in St Aubin's Harbour were 10 Redshanks and 3 Grey Plovers . Seen from Grosnez late afternoon were 4 Teal offshore, and around the castle, 30 Meadow Pipits . A Firecrest was singing at West Hill in St Helier. At Grands Vaux reservoir were 8 Tufted Duck . In the fields opposite La Sente this afternoon were 9 Cattle Egrets and at La Sente were 25 Little Egrets . Another 6 Little Egrets were on Rue du Pont. Yesterday evening, 30 Dunlin , 12 Redshanks and 3 Grey Plovers were feeding at Gorey Harbour. Below : A Harbour Porpoise below Grosnez this morning MD

08.03.2025 And they're off. Wigeon on the Scrape this morning MD A mainly cloudy day with some showery rain, mild in a gusty south-easterly wind. A few birds passing Grosnez from sunrise included a Red-throated Diver, 8 Common Scoters , 10 Razorbills , 12 Fulmars , 3 Kittiwakes , 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Porpoise being attended by the Gannets . 2 White Wagtails headed off to the North. At Sorel were 12 Song Thrushes, 11 Linnets , 3 Meadow PIpits a singing Chiffchaff and 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , and at Crabbe were 4 Ravens , a Marsh Harrier and a Kestrel , but again, no Hen Harriers were seen. On St Ouen's Pond were 32 Shovelers , 3 Tufted Duck , 2 male Pochard , 4 Teal , 3 Wigeon , 2 Shelduck, 2 Snipe , a Water Pipit and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and at the Scrape were 253 Brent Geese , the Pink-footed Goose and Barnacle Goose , 10 Wigeon , 26 Teal , a Redshank , 6 Lapwings , 2 Snipe , a Water Pipit and a Raven , most of which were put up by a passing Sparrowhawk . At Petit Port were 6 Brent Geese , 11 Curlews , a Mediterranean Gull , 4 Great Black-backed Gulls and 6 Little Egrets and 2 Peregrines were seen near Corbiere. In Vallee des Vaux, singing birds included a Goldcrest , a Firecrest and a Blackcap , while at the Zoo were a Redwing , a Grey Wagtail , 7 Firecrests , a Bullfinch and 5 Chaffinches and in Rozel Harbour were 7 Brent Geese and a Little Egret .