Jersey Birds

31.05.2026 It was a good day for shearwater movement along the south coast, with 460 seen from Corbiere in four hours this morning Thanks go to John Ovenden for this nice image of Manx and a Balearic Shearwater passing through St Ouen's Bay. JO A poor start to the day with overcast conditions and a little light rain in a westerly wind, becoming fine this afternoon. At St Ouen's Pond this morning were 2 Black-winged Stilts again, a Lapwing with 2 young juveniles, a Grey Heron , 12 Tufted Duck and 3 Shoveler , while in the reedbed on the north side of the Pond was a singing, but not visible, Savi's Warbler and in the willows there, a flock of c15 Long-tailed Tits - mainly young birds. Feeding overhead were 4 Swifts , 4 House Martins and a few Swallows and Sand Martins . On the Scrape was another family of 4 Lapwings and a family of 4 Oystercatchers . One of the Black-winged Stilts also paid a brief visit there. Seawatching from Corbiere was steady this morning with counts of 345 Manx Shearwaters, 118 Balearic Shearwaters , 10 Fulmars , 36 Gannets , 7 Guillemots , 2 Sandwich Terns , 2 Kittiwakes and a Shelduck . Reed Warblers were in song at Grands Vaux reservoir, while at Grouville Marsh Cetti's Warblers were feeding newly fledged young. A late record just to hand is of 2 Storm Petrels , seen from a boat in St Ouen's Bay on the 23rd May.

30.05.2026 An adult Lapwing over the Scrape today. Image: MD A cloudy and cool morning with a brighter afternoon in a northerly wind. At St Ouen's Pond, the 2 Black-winged Stilts were still present and very active. Lapwings have also been active in chasing off all comers for sometime, and the reason became apparent today with 2 half-sized juveniles appearing on the edge of the Pond, adding to the family at the Scrape which now have 3 juveniles showing. None are yet fledged though, so fingers are still firmly crossed. The Oystercatcher pair near the Scrape have also produced 2 chicks today. Also on the Pond were a pair of Shelduck , 2 male Shovelers , 4 Tufted Ducks , a Grey Heron and overhead, 4 Swifts . Skylarks were in song to the north of the Pond. Counts continue at Corbiere and today between sunrise and 9 am, recorded 148 Manx Shearwaters, 75 Balearic Shearwaters , 7 Guillemots , 22 Gannets , 45 Fulmars , 23 Shags , 2 Cormorants , 7 Mediterranean Gulls , 5 Kittiwakes , 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 38 Great Black-backed Gulls , a Peregrine and a flock of 5 waders at great distance in the haze. 2 pairs of Shelducks were present in Petit Port Bay. Below : One of the young Lapwings which are currently on the Scrape. MD

29.05.2026 . Male Tufted Duck on the South Canal, in a shower of rain yesterday. MD A much cooler day as the westerlies return. Cloudy with a moderate northwest wind. At St Ouen's Pond, two Black-winged Stilts are still present, but elusive at times. Also on the Pond today were 3 male Shovelers , 7 Tufted Ducks , a Grey Heron and overhead, 4 Swifts . On the Scrape were 5 Lapwings including the young juvenile bird, and a Shelduck . North of the Pond was a Skylark carrying food for young, with another Skylark near to the Watersplash. On St Ouen's Beach this afternoon were 62 Great Black-backed Gulls , 17 Lesser Black-backed gulls and 42 Herring Gulls . At Le Pulec were 173 Herring Gulls and a Shelduck, and near Faulkner's Fisheries at L'Etacq were a further 84 Herring Gulls , 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Little Egret . Shearwater numbers are increasing day on day at the moment, with counts of 156 Balearic Shearwaters and 25 Manx Shearwaters passing Corbiere in ninety minutes from Sunrise this morning. Also passing Corbiere were 12 Guillemots , 11 Fulmars , 30 Gannets , 2 Shelducks , 26 Shags , 3 Cormorants , 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 24 Great Black-backed Gulls , also a Peregrine . A Grey Seal was feeding east of the Lighthouse too. A pair of Shelduck was in Petit Port again. At the Desalination Plant at La Rosiere were a 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls nests, 12 Herring Gull nests, Whitethroat , a Dartford Warbler , 50+ Crows , 2 Choughs and 7 Jackdaws . At Plemont this morning were a Razorbill , a Marsh Harrier, 4 Swifts , 8 Linnets , a pair of Dartford Warblers feeding 2 young, a Greenfinch with young, a Little Egret and a juvenile Raven . In St Catherine's Woods were a family of 4 Moorhens , Mallards with 9 new young, 10 Long-tailed Tits , 3 Firecrests , 2 Short-toed Treecreepers , 2 singing Song Thrushes and good numbers of both Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs . At a small reedbed in meadows by Grouville Church were 6 pairs of Reed Warblers , a Cetti's Warbler and a Marsh Harrier .

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 .