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17.12.2024 It was an organised Brent Goose and Wader count day today. Here is a flock of Grey Plovers with a Turnstone passing through
Grouville Bay (MD). Results of these counts will be published on the Resources page in the next few days.
It was a bleak morning for the counts, but at least it was dry. A temperature of 9c in a cutting southerly wind did not daunt the hardy counters though!
Seen passing through Grouville Bay prior to the count were 6 Great Northern Divers, 4 Red-throated Divers, 2 Shelduck, 35 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Sandwich Tern, 7 Mediterranean Gulls, 14 Common Gulls, 153 Sanderlings in a mixed flock of small waders, 27 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Gannets, with close on a thousand Black-headed Gulls also in the Bay. Around La Rocque were 3 Great Northern Divers, a Great Crested Grebe, a Slavonian Grebe, a Kittiwake, 5 Common Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, a Redwing and a Black Redstart. On Grouville Common were 5 Redwings and at Le Hocq was a roost of 130 Curlews, also a Sandwich Tern and another Black Redstart. At La Sente were 18 Grey Herons and 10 Little Egrets.
At the Scrape on St Ouen's Pond were a Short-eared Owl and a male Hen Harrier, while seen from the Wetland Centre were 5 Teal, a pair of Shoveler, c40 Lapwings, 12 Snipe, a Grey Heron, a Little Grebe, 3 Brent Geese and a Peregrine and in the backfields behind the Pond were 5 Brent Geese and 25 Lapwings. In the Sandpits were 2 Pochard, 17 Tufted Duck, 8 Little Grebes, a Grey Heron, 30 Lapwings and 22 Great Black-backed Gulls. In St Ouen's Bay were 43 Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling and a Dunlin and at La Pulente were 6 Brent Geese, a Shelduck, 7 Grey Herons, a flock of Black-headed Gulls and 9 Mediterranean Gulls.
Also in St Ouen's Bay, offshore at Le Pulec, were hundreds of Razorbills, a Guillemot, 27 Mediterranean Gulls, a Kittiwake, 10 Gannets and at Le Port, 3 Mediterranean Gulls. Petit Port held 14 Brent Geese, a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, 190 Oystercatchers and a Little Egret.
Near Bel Royal in St Aubin's Bay, as well as the Brent Geese, were 2 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Great Crested Grebes and c 50 Black-headed Gulls. At Beaumont Marsh were a Teal, 2 Shovelers, 2 Water Rails, 4 Snipe, 3 Blackcaps and 2 Chiffchaffs.
Below: Redshanks and a large flock of mixed waders in Grouville Bay this morning MD
09.01.2025 Stonechats at the Wetland Centre today MD Early rain cleared before Dawn today leaving an improving scene with good sunny periods between isolated showers. Winds were fresh from the North It is not often that Le Roncier in St Clement gets a mention, but a report of a Yellowhammer attracted attention there today. It was not seen again but present were 22 Cattle Egrets , 6 Little Egrets , 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 120 Black-headed Gulls , 44 Redwings , 6 Song Thrushes and a Stonechat . In Grouville Bay were 2 Great Northern Divers and at Grouville Marsh were 14 Common Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull and a Snipe . At La Rocque were a Golden Plover , 70 Grey Plovers , 3 Greenshanks , 41 Redshanks , 375 Oystercatchers , 16 Ringed Plovers, 130 Sanderlings and 230 Dunlin . At La Sente were 24 Grey Herons and a lot of water! On the West side of the Island, at St Ouen's Pond, were a Merlin , 12 Wigeon , 22 Teal , 18 Shovelers , 2 male Pochard , 2 Brent Geese , 45 Lapwings , 2 Snipe , a Grey Heron , a Little Grebe and a pair of Stonechats . At Sands were 40 Ringed Plovers, 20 Sanderlings and 3 Dunlin while in the Sandpits were 8 Grey Herons , a Shelduck , 14 Tufted Duck , 13 Pochard , 3 Little Grebes and there was an overflight by the Barnacle Goose / Pink-footed Goose combo too. At Le Pulec were 9 Little Egrets , 26 Curlews , 200 Oystercatchers and 2 Rock Pipits . A further 38 Curlews were at Petit Port. A ring-tail Hen Harrier was seen at Crabbe while at Plemont were 3 Ravens , a Buzzard and a Kestrel . At Beaumont Marsh were 280 Brent Geese ( with only 4 juveniles amongst them), 6 Shovelers , 90 Mallards , a Little Egret and a Stonechat and a Dartford Warbler was at Gorselands. Gentle passage past Corbiere this morning included 68 Razorbills , 28 Guillemots , 5 Fulmars , 34 Gannets , 26 Shags , 11 Cormorants , 122 Kittiwakes , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , a Common Gull and a Curlew , plus a Porpoise feeding close in.
08.01.2024 A recent image of a Skylark , behind the seawall in St Ouen's Bay MD An awful day, with rain throughout in overcast and cold conditions in a fresh southeasterly wind. At La Sente were a Kingfisher , a Shelduck , 175 Brent Geese , 19 Redshanks and 8 Grey Herons , with another 30 Redshanks in an adjacent field. On St Ouen's Pond were 10 Wigeon and 14 Teal , while at the bottom of Jubillee Hill were 150 Brent Geese and on Route du Port were the Pink-footed Goose and Barnacle Goose , together as usual. In Beaumont Marsh were 132 Brent Geese, a Shoveler , 2 Snipe , a Water Rail and a Stonechat and at La Haule were 26 pale-bellied Brent Geese and on Route de la Haule, a Blackcap was a garden visitor. 2 Buzzards were on Mount Bingham. Yesterday evening, at La Haule were 120 Dunlin , one of them Polish ringed, 200 Sanderlings and a Ringed Plover .
07.01.2025 Thanks go to Romano for this image of a Brent Goose, colour-ringed in the Netherlands, which has wintered with us in Grouville Bay every year since 2015. RDC A second very windy day with heavy showers in a strong and gusty Westerly wind. At a relatively sheltered La Sente through the day today were 22 Brent Geese , 2 female Wigeon , 34 Mallards , 23 Grey Herons , 51 Redshanks, a Mediterranean Gull and 18 Pied Wagtails . In Grouville Marsh were 86 Redwings , 26 Common Gulls , 2 Snipe , 2 Grey Herons and 38 Coot , with another Common Gull at Gorey and 2 Stonechats on Grouville Common. A female Black Redstart was at Le Hurel as well as 140 Sanderlings and a male Black Redstart was at La Rocque. In Causie Lane St Clement, were 350 Brent Geese and a Little Egret and a Great Northern Diver was at Green Island. 4 Teal and 8 Tufted Duck were at Queen's Valley reservoir. Around St Ouen's Pond were 16 Shovelers , 17 Teal , 4 Tufted Duck , 10 Brent Geese , 5 Snipe , 22 Lapwings , a Little Grebe and a Grey Heron and on Sands Slip on the rising tide were 54 Ringed Plovers , 6 Sanderling , 27 Dunlin and nearby, above the sea wall was a Skylark . In St Ouen's Bay Sandpits were a Shelduck , 12 Pochard , 17 Tufted Duck , 5 Little Grebes and 3 Lapwing . In an orchard at Les Ormes were 8 Redwings and a Song Thrush and on a cotil in St Mary were 22 Redwings . On the small reservoir at La Hague in St Peter's Valley were 5 Tufted Duck , a Little Grebe, 4 Coot and several Mallard . A few hardy seabirds offshore at Grosnez included 75 Gannets , 44 Fulmars , 2 Razorbills , a Guillemot and 20 Kittiwakes , with a Peregrine and 2 Ravens also there. On Beaumont Marsh were 74 Brent Geese and 2 Shovelers while at Ruelle es Ruaux were a Grey Heron , 2 Little Egrets and a Grey Wagtail . At the Gunsite in St Aubin's Bay were 106 Brent Geese and 4 Curlews .
06.01.2025 A female Marsh Harrier over St Ouen's Pond MD A wild day with frequent showers in a strong to gale force west-northwest wind. Over the stormy seas off Corbiere this morning were a Great Skua ( rare here since Avian Flu hit them on their breeding sites), a Red-breasted Merganser , a Brent Goose , 19 Razorbills , 9 Guillemots , 13 Fulmars , 44 Gannets , 41 Shags , 7 Cormorants , 7 Kittiwakes , 35 Great Black-blacked Gulls and a Curlew . At La Rocque were 180 Dunlin , 60 Sanderlings , 22 Grey Plovers and 5 Ringed Plovers , while at La sente were 2 female Wigeon , 58 Redshanks , 28 Grey Herons and 5 Ringed Plovers . In St Aubin's Bay were 30 Redshanks and 5 Turnstones , while at Beaumont Marsh were 6 Shovelers and 3 Brent Geese and at Ruelle es Ruaux were 22 Black-headed Gulls , a Grey Heron , 2 Little Egrets and 2 Pied Wagtails . Elsewhere, 4 Woodcock and a Brambling were at Beauport and a Grey Wagtail was seen at La Pouquelaye. Below : A dramatic Corbiere this morning MD
05.01.2025 Peregrine Falcon at Corbiere MD It was back to mild conditions at 13c today, but with an overcast sky and periods of rain in a strong south-southwest wind. A quiet day on the birding front. Seen at La Rocque were 2 Great Northern Divers , 2 Great Crested Grebes , 245 Oystercatchers and 5 Ringed Plovers , while at La Sente were 73 Redshanks , 8 Curlews , 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 450 Black-headed Gulls . On St Ouen's Pond were 18 Teal , a Shoveler , 2 Little Grebes , 42 Lapwings , 170 Brent Geese , 8 Snipe , a Mediterranean Gull and 4 Black-headed Gulls . A pair of Stonechats were at St Ouen's Church. Seen passing Corbiere early on were 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 8 Razorbills , a Fulmar , 53 Gannets , 18 Shags , 4 Cormorants and a Kittiwake . On Beaumont Marsh were 2 Stonechats , 2 Shovelers , a Little Egret , 2 Chiffchaffs and 15 Meadow Pipits and on Ruelle es Ruaux were 3 Shovelers , 2 Little Egrets and a Pied Wagtail . In Vallee des Vaux today were 2 Firecrests , 2 Goldcrests , a Blackcap , 4 Bullfinches , 6 Redwings , 5 Ravens and 7 Woodcock .
04.01.2025 Blackcaps are visiting gardens around the Island in good numbers. This male was pictured at Red Houses yesterday MD A cold day (4c) with rain this afternoon, winds fresh from the southeast. A male Goosander passed La Coupe shortly after sunrise heading south, so could find a reservoir to it's liking in the Island. Also seen there were 4 Great Northern Divers , a Black-throated Diver, 8 Red-throated Divers , 12 Brent Geese , 40 Razorbills , a Guillemot , 3 Kittiwakes , 24 Common Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , 14 Black-headed Gulls , a Raven and 20 Redwings , with 3 Porpoises offshore. At Crabbe were a male and a ringtailed Hen Harrier, 4 Marsh Harriers , 2 Kestrels , 30 Linnets , 50 Chaffinches and 2 Ravens , with a Porpoise seen offshore there. In Rue des Chases, St John were 150 Chaffinches and in Beechfield Road were 400 Chaffinches and 15 Redwings . In Causie Lane, St Clement were 250 Brent Geese, at Le Hocq were 120 Curlews and at La Sente were 26 Grey Herons , 14 Little Egrets and 55 Redshanks . In Rue du Hocq were 19 Cattle Egrets and in Rue Cotils in Grouville another 6 Cattle Egrets . Checks of reservoirs around the Island found 12 Tufted Ducks and 8 Redwings at Grands Vaux, 17 Tufted Ducks and 82 Mallards at Handois, a Grey Heron and 8 Cormorants on Millbrook and 14 Tufted Ducks plus a Grey Wagtail at Dannemarche. In Jersey Zoo yesterday was a Water Rail . Garden birds included 2 Blackcaps and 2 Greenfinches at Rue du Hocq, a Grey Wagtail at Greve de Lecq and another Grey Wagtail in Great Union Road, St Helier. In Vallee des Vaux were 2 Firecrests , 2 Goldcrests , a Blackcap , 8 Redwings , 2 Ravens and 7 Woodcock at Dusk. Elsewhere, a pair of Stonechats were at Home Farm in St Mary, 26 Redwings were on Mont Pellier, and 11 Ravens were over Rue des Arbres in St Helier. Below : A cute video of the Bittern at St Ouen's Pond, courtesy of Stuart Matthews.
03.01.2025 A pod of c40 Common Dolphins was attracting a lot of attention from the seabirds off Grosnez this morning, coming close in below the cliff at times, as seen here MD A cloudy day with excellent visibility for a change, cold at 5c but in a light easterly wind Seabirds were to the fore today. Seen from Grosnez were 2 Black-throated Divers , 14 Red-throated Divers, 2 Guillemots , 60+ Razorbills , 25 Fulmars , 75 Gannets , 19 Shags , a Little Gull , 20 Mediterranean Gulls , 45 Kittiwakes , a Lesser Black-backed Gull , 5 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Common Gulls , mostly attending the feeding frenzy of the Common Dolphins . Also passing were a juvenile Marsh Harrier , a Peregrine and a Raven . Passing Corbiere were a Black-throated Diver , 19 diver sp , probably mainly Red-throated Divers and 300+ auks , all far offshore, 13 Razorbills , a Guillemot , 70 Gannets , 28 Shags , 6 Mediterrranean Gulls , 7 Kittiwakes , a Peregrine and 2 Curlews . 20 Bottle-nosed Dolphins were offshore there early on. Seen from La Coupe were a Great Northern Diver , 11 Red-throated Divers , one unidentified diver , 2 Gannets , 4 Common Gulls , 2 Curlews and a Grey Heron . At La Rocque were 2 Redshanks , a Little Egret and a Grey Heron and at Grouville Marsh were a Jack Snipe , 12 Snipe , a Woodcock , 6 Teal and 30 Coot . Between Bel Royal and the Gunsite in St Aubin's Bay were 273 Brent Geese and at St Aubin were a further 18 Brent Geese , 6 of them pale-belled birds, 6 Curlews , 3 Little Egrets and a Black-necked Grebe . A Teal was at Beaumont Marsh and 3 Shovelers were in a flooded field at Ruelle es Ruaux, St Peter. One ring-tailed Hen Harrier was seen at Crabbe along with 4 Skylarks and 2 Stonechats and the wintering Brambling paid another garden visit at Beauport. 4 Stonechats were at La Pulente. Below : more images of Common Dolphins at Grosnez today MD
02.01.2024 One of today's Hen Harriers at Crabbe MD Heavy rain overnight cleared before Dawn leaving a cloudy scenario in a moderate North wind, and cool at 8c. In Grouville Bay this morning were 645 Dunlin, 310 Sanderlings , 284 Grey Plovers , 31 Ringed Plovers , a Bar-tailed Godwit , 8 Curlews , 125 Turnstones and 6 Common Gulls and, at Seymour were 3 Great Crested Grebes , a Mediterranean Gull , a Greenshank , 7 Ringed Plovers , 100+ Sanderlings , 4 Greenshanks , 326 Oystercatchers and a Sandwich Tern . Around La Rocque were 2 Great Northern Divers and 3 Black-necked Grebes . Further along the South coast at Green Island and Le Hocq were 2 Great Northern Divers , 17 Red-breasted Mergansers and 75 Curlews . At La Sente were 63 Redshanks , 10 Grey Herons and 18 Pied Wagtails , by Grouville Parish Hall were 25 Cattle Egrets and by St Clement Church were 15 Cattle Egrets and a Little Egre t. A Great White Egret was in a field in St Mary and 2 Chough flew over the Amaizin Maze in St Peter. At Crabbe were 3 Hen Harriers , a male and 2 ring-tailed birds, a Marsh Harrier , 2 Buzzards , a Kestrel , 2 Ravens , 400 Chaffinches , 200 Linnets , 120 Woodpigeons and 2 Stonechats . Early seawatching from Corbiere saw 239 Gannets , a Fulmar , 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Common Scoters , 2 Red-breasted Mergansers , 20 Brent Geese flying in from the southwest, 4 Guillemots , 20 Razorbills , 61 Shags , 11 Cormorants , 10 Mediterranean Gulls , 17 Kittiwakes , 12 Woodpigeons from the West which were scattered by 2 Peregrines , 9 Purple Sandpipers , a Turnstone , 2 Curlews and a Harbour Porpoise . Elsewhere, 33 Lapwings were at St Ouen's Pond Scrape and a Shelduck plus 55 Mediterranean Gulls were at La Pulente. In St Aubin's Bay, 134 Brent Geese and 5 Curlews were around Bel Royal, 25 Redshanks and a Kingfisher were at St Aubin and, in Beaumont Marsh were 5 Shovelers , 2 Snipe , 5 Redwings , 2 Stonechats , a Firecrest , a Goldcrest , a Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff . A Redwing was in full song in a garden on Mont Les Vaux, St Aubin, early this morning. Results of the Wader , and Brent Goose Counts on 17th December, are now available to download from the Resources page of this website.
01.01.2025 What better way to start 2025 than with these images of the Bittern at St Ouen's Pond, taken by Romano RDC A wild start to the year with strong and increasing southwesterly winds ahead of rain in the afternoon At La Sente this morning were 71 Redshanks , 24 Grey Herons , 10 Little Egrets , 246 Brent Geese , 2 Ravens and 30 Pied Wagtails, while in Grouville Bay were 4 Great Crested Grebes , 500 Brent Geese , 276 Turnstones , a Mediterranean Gull and 175 Black-headed Gulls . At Gorey were 17 Common Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 550 Black-headed Gulls . At La Rocque were 500 Dunlin , 220 Sanderlings , 95 Grey Plovers , 246 Oystercatchers , 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Peregrine , 4 Gannets and a Great Crested Grebe . 35 Coot were in Grouv ille Marsh. Little was moving off Corbiere in the wind and seen in two hours were 8 Guillemots , 6 Razorbills , 7 auk sp , 30 Gannets , 34 Shags , 3 Cormorants , a Kittiwake , 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 60 Great Black-backed Gulls , 7 Turnstones and a Peregrine . In Petit Port Bay were 43 Curlews , 205 Oystercatchers and 16 Brent Geese . Seen from the Wetland Centre at St Ouen's Pond were a Bittern , 2 Grey Herons , a Little Grebe , 24 Shovelers , 7 Coot , 7 Snipe , a Song Thrush , a Water Pipit and a Lesser Black-backed Gull . A Mistle Thrush was in fields near the Scout Hut on the Five Mile Road with 2 Long-eared Owls also seen nearby. On Rue de la Mer were the Pink-footed Goose with it's Barnacle Goose friend. Up at Crabbe were 2 Hen Harriers , a Marsh Harrier , 2 Peregrine , 150 Chaffinch , 200 Linnet , 40 Goldfinch , 30 Meadow Pipit and 2 Raven . In Vallee des Vaux were 2 Firecrests , a Goldcrest , 3 Bullfinches , a Blackcap , a Chiffchaff , a Grey Wagtail , 7 Ravens and 6 Woodcock at Dusk. Below: Thanks again to Romano for these beautiful images of the Bittern at St Ouen's Pond
31.12.2024 To finish the year, a nice view of the ringtail Hen Harrier at Crabbe today. MD A brighter day today, but with a fresh Southerly wind making it feel cold. At St Ouen's Pond, and in the fields behind it were a male Hen Harrier , 6 Marsh Harriers , a Merlin , 19 Teal , 4 Pochard , 15 Shovelers , 3 Little Grebes , 3 Grey Herons, 35 Lapwings , 5 Snipe , 3 Water Rails , 5 Cormorants , 94 Skylarks , 15 Meadow Pipits , a Water Pipit , 50 Stock Doves and 30 Chaffinches . At Sands were 14 Ringed Plovers , 11 Sanderlings and 12 Dunlin . Seen from Le Pulec were 8 Gannets , 100+ auk sp , 15 Kittiwakes , 10 Mediterranean Gulls , 7 Little Egrets , a Grey Wagtail , a Pied Wagtail and 30 Rock Pipits . On Mont Matthieu were another 67 Skylarks , 22 Redwings , 25 Meadow Pipits , 50 Chaffinches , 2 Chiffchaffs , 2 Stonechats , a Sparrowhawk , a Kestrel , 2 Shovelers , a Tufted Duck and 2 Snipe . At Crabbe this morning were the ringtail Hen Harrier , a Marsh Harrier , a Kestrel , 200+ mixed finches , including Chaffinches , Linnets and Goldfinches , 2 Reed Buntings , 2 Stonechats , a Raven and a Chough . Passing Corbiere in ninety minutes this morning were 16 Brent Geese , a Common Scoter , 58 Razorbills , 35 Guillemots , 28 Shags , 31 Gannets , 22 Kittiwakes , 7 Mediterranean Gulls , 24 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull . Seen at La Sente this morning were 2 Wigeon , 20 Grey Herons , 3 Redshanks , 40 Black-headed Gulls , 4 Pied Wagtails , a Song Thrush and 2 Ravens . On Grouville Common were 30 Redwings . On Grands Vaux reservoir were 12 Tufted Ducks , 8 Redwings and a Chiffchaff . At St Aubin were 32 Redshanks and a Little Egret and on Beaumont Marsh were 7 Shovelers and 2 Teal . Today's Vallee des Vaux list included a Barn Owl , 4 Bullfinches , 4 Redwings , 3 Firecrests , 2 Goldcrests, 28 Ravens and at last light, 6 Woodcocks . A Happy New Year to all our readers and a big thanks to all our contributors, who make this news item possible. Mick
Mick Dryden
Romano da Costa
Tony Paintin
