by Michael Dryden
•
3 April 2025
03.04.2025 A Redshank on St Ouen's Pond Scrape today MD A fine morning was replaced by a wet afternoon, in a fresh easterly wind. Hirundines are starting to show in better numbers around the Island, now April is with us. On St Ouen's Pond, and over the Pond, were a Redshank , a Dunlin , 2 Oystercatchers , 6 Lapwings , 39 Teal , 2 Wigeon , 5 Shovelers , a pair of Shelduck , a Grey Heron , at least 8 Swallows , 4 Sand Martins , a Merlin in the Trois Roches, a Wheatear , and a summer-plumaged Water Pipit , while at Kempt Tower were 3 Shovelers , and 4 Tufted Duck , at in St Ouen's Bay were 3 Sandwich Terns . A selection of species passing Grosnez this morning included 4 Guillemots , 5 Razorbills , 40 Gannets , 21 Fulmars , 2 Kittiwakes , 19 Sandwich Terns , 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 10 Swallows , 7 Sandwich Terns , 163 Linnets , 15 Goldfinches , 12 Meadow Pipits , 2 Peregrines , a Raven , 2 Choughs , 17 Crows heading off North, and a Buzzard heading to Guernsey, while on Les Landes were a Wheatear , 4 Swallows , a Sand Martin and good numbers of Meadow Pipits . Seen from Plemont were a Wheatear , another 3 Swallows , 4 Razorbills and 19 Lesser Black- backed Gulls . At Corbiere were 17 Purple Sandpipers , 19 Turnstones and 2 Swallows , while in Petit Port were 2 Shelduck and 4 Curlew . 17 Little Egrets were sitting out the high tide in Stinky Bay at Le Pulec. At Ruelle es Ruaux were 80 pale-bellied and 8 dark-bellied Brent Geese , with another 8 dark-bellied Brent Geese at Havre des Pas and a further 17 Brent Geese on Elizabeth Castle as well as 200 Oystercatchers and 3 Little Egret s. 2 Kestrels were on Mount Bingham and a Dartford Warbler was at Bouley Bay. On the North coast at Sorel were 5 Swallows , a Meadow Pipit and 6 Linnets flying over and a Buzzard arriving off the sea. At La Piece Mauger in St Martin were 13 Cattle Egrets. On Grands Vaux reservoir were 2 Teal, a Tufted Duck, a singing Firecrest and a Sparrowhawk and in Vallee des Vaux were 2 Bullfinches and another singing Firecrest . In La Sente were 32 Cattle Egrets and 62 Brent Geese and at Le Hurel in St Ouen's Bay were 540 Brent Geese plus 2 Grey Herons . In Grouville Marsh were a male Shoveler , 2 White Wagtails , 4 Water Rails and 2 singing Cetti's Warbler , while at Queen's Valley were 2 singing Firecrests .On Grouville Common was a Wheatear .