Jersey Birds

03.10.2026 A super shot of a juvenile Merlin at St Ouen's Pond Scrape, taken by Susan Renouf A dry day with high cloud, still warm at 20c in a light east-northeast wind. Autumn migrants continue to appear now. Today's birds at and passing Noirmont include a Mistle Thrush , 35 Song Thrushes, 8 Blackbirds , 3 Skylarks , 19 Swallows , 209 Meadow Pipits, 26 alba Wagtails , 3 Grey Wagtails , 41 Chaffinches , 151 Linnets , 2 Goldfinches , 16 Greenfinches , an unidentified Bunting sp, a Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaffs , 4 Stonechats , 8 Long-tailed Tits , 2 Blue Tits , 3 Dartford Warblers , a Peregrine , 3 Buzzards , a Sparrowhawk , 3 Grey Herons , 2 Cormorants , 5 Ravens , a Jay , 2 Marsh Harriers , and a Great Spotted Woodpecker , also, offshore were 4 Common Scoters a Mediterranean Gull and 5 Black-headed Gulls . 18 Song Thrushes were seen flying over Vallee des Vaux too. At La Rocque were 17 Little Egrets, 11 Grey Herons , 37 Turnstones , 9 Grey Plovers , 7 Sanderlings , a Redshank and 150 Oystercatchers , and at Seymour in Grouville Bay later were 90+ Oystercatchers , 8 Grey Plovers , a Curlew , 16 Bar-tailed Godwits , 30+ Little Egrets , a Common Gull , a few Sandwich Terns and Turnstones . In St Ouen's Bay were 59 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 24 Mediterranean Gulls and 19 Black-headed Gulls and at Le Pulec were 60 Oystercatchers , 3 Little Egrets and 4 Curlews . In Petit Port Bay were 22 Curlews , 12 Little Egrets , 27 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , 3 Black-backed Gulls and 67 Oystercatchers . On Les Landes were 2 Marsh Harriers , a Kestrel , 40+ Meadow Pipits , 15 Goldfinches , 30 Linnets , 9 Robins , 3 Swallows , 3 Blue Tits , 2 Choughs and a Raven . At Mont a l'Abbe were 6 Cattle Egrets , and in the Jersey Zoo were 2 Cetti's Warblers and a Short-toed Treecreeper. Below: The view from Noirmont at Dawn this morning MD.

02.10.2026 Female Sparrowhawk over Noirmont MD A fine and warm day in a light southerly wind (21c) Autumn migrants are begining to appear as October gets under way. c20 Siskins flew over Mont les Vaux this afternoon, and the first Autumn Merlin was on the Scrape at St Ouen's Pond. Moving over Noirmont from first light were 82 Swallows , 2 House Martins , 7 Skylarks , a Yellow Wagtai l, 2 Grey Wagtails , 4 alba Wagtails , 511 Meadow Pipits , 178 Linnets , 56 Chaffinches , 32 Goldfinches , 11 Greenfinches , and passing offshore were a Balearic Shearwater , 26 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Mediterranean Gulls , 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Sandwich Terns . On Noirmont headland were 5 Stonechats , a Willow Warbler , 2 Chiffchaffs , 5 Robins , 6 Blackbirds , 5 Dartford Warblers, a Marsh Harrier, 10 Buzzards , a Jay and 5 Ravens . On the north side of St Ouen's Pond were 2 Reed Buntings , a Reed Warbler , a Wheatear , 4 Chiffchaffs , a Blackcap , a Firecrest , 15 Cetti's Warbler s, 6 Water Rails , 3 Song Thrushes , 8 Robins , a family of 5 Swallows including recently fledged young, 2 Peregrines , a pale-phased Buzzard , 8 Marsh Harriers , 9 Teal , 6 Shovelers and 20 Meadow Pipits . A visit to Les Ecrehous today saw 8 Little Egrets , 50+ Oystercatchers , 14 Turnstones , 3 Curlews , a Ringed Plover , a Grey Heron , 10 Linnets , 10+ Rock Pipits , 3 Chiffchaffs and 3 Grey Seals , with a Grey Wagtail at Rozel Harbour. In Grouville Bay were 77 Brent Geese , 2 Great Crested Grebes and 15 Bottle-nosed Dolphins , and at La Rocque were a Knot , a Redshank , 53 Turnstones , 5 Grey Herons , 16 Little Egrets . At Sorel were 2 Stonechats , 8 Goldfinches , 15 Meadow Pipits , 2 Ravens and 36 Choughs . At St John's Manor were 11 Cattle Egrets and at Grands Vaux were 13 Cormorants , 7 Teal , a Marsh Harrier , a Common Sandpiper and a Peregrine .

01.10.2026 A male Dartford Warbler at Noirmont this week. MD A fair to cloudy day with an early shower, winds gusty from the West. A short seawatch from Corbiere this morning saw 7 Balearic Shearwaters , 4 Guillemots , 8 Mediterranean Gulls , 9 Black-headed Gulls , 6 Gannets , also a Peregrine , a Wheatear and a Grey Wagtail . At Petit Port were 22 Mediterranean Gulls , 23 Curlews and a Yellow-legged Gull and at Gorselands were 3 Dartford Warblers and a Stonechat . Visible migrants passing Noirmont this morning included 173 Swallows , a Sand Martin , 845 Meadow Pipits , a Grey Wagtail , 35 alba Wagtails , mostly Pied Wagtails , 169 Linnets , 2 Chaffinches , and 36 Woodpigeons . while on the ground were a Firecrest , a Chiffchaff , and 2 Dartford Warblers . Raptors seen were 2 Peregrines , a Marsh Harrier , a Buzzard and a Kestrel , also 2 Ravens . A few birds passing offshore included 5 Guillemots , 5 Gannets , 9 Black-headed Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull and a Sandwich Tern . 12 dark-bellied Brent Geese were at First Tower in St Aubin's Bay. In St Ouen's Bay were a Caspian Gull , 103 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull , with a Yellow Wagtail on the Scrape. On the north side of St Ouen's Pond were 12 Shovelers , 25 Teal , 4 Water Rails , 6 Stonechats , 2 Wheatears , a Reed Warbler , 4 Chiffchaffs , 30 Meadow Pipits and a pale-phased Buzzard . Cattle Egrets seen around the Island today included 11 at St John's Manor, 6 near the Union Inn and another 6 on Rue Cotils. In Queen's Valley were 16 Tufted Ducks and a Kingfisher . At Anneport were a Grey Heron and a Little Egret . A few extras from St Ouen's Pond this evening include at least 20 Water Rails calling, 4 Swallows and a Barn Owl .

30.09.2026 An adult Goldfinch at Noirmont MD Another dry day and becoming warm again at 23c in a moderate southwest wind. It was a very quiet day for the last day in September, New in St Aubin's Bay, at the Gunsite, were 11 pale-bellied Brent Geese, the first of this race to return this Autumn. Also, at St Aubin were 16 Redshanks . A few migrants at Sorel included a Hobby , a Whinchat , a Whitethroat , 4 Chiffchaffs .14 Stonechats , 16 Meadow Pipits plus 3 Ravens and a Marsh Harrier . At La Sente were 19 Grey Herons . In St Ouen's Bay this afternoon were 4 Yellow-legged Gulls including 2 juveniles, 59 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 9 Sandwich Terns and 41 Herring Gulls . Just a few birds were passing Noirmont and these included 6 Swallows , 41 Meadow Pipits , 12 Linnets , 8 Black-headed Gulls and a Grey Heron . Local birds there included 3 Marsh Harriers and 2 Dartford Warblers . At Petit Port on the falling tide were 48 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Black-headed Gulls , a Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 9 Little Egrets, 25 Curlews , 3 Common Sandpipers and a Grey Wagtail . Around the corner, at Corbiere, were 2 Wheatears , a Grey Wagtail , a Yellow Wagtail, 3 Linnets, and 2 Sandwich Terns passing offshore.

29.09.2026 A Whinchat at Noirmont this week Image: MD A day of high cloud in a strong southeast wind, becoming warm at 23c A Red Kite was seen in flight, being mobbed by Crows , at Beauport this afternoon. At or passing Noirmont in this morning's blustery conditions,were 4 Hobbies , a Peregrine , 4 Wheatears , 2 Skylarks , 2 Song Thrushes , 6 Yellow Wagtails , 5 alba Wagtails , 462 Meadow Pipits , 4 Swallows , 6 House Martins , 2 Ringed Plovers , a Grey Heron , 2 Cormorants , 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 2 Blackcaps , 45 Linnets , 5 Greenfinches , 3 Chaffinches , 6 Great Tits , 3 Blue Tits , a Sparrowhawk , 4 Buzzards , 2 Choughs and 3 Ravens . At La Rocque later this morning were 112 Oystercatchers , 4 Ringed Plovers , a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Seymour and in Grouville Bay were a Great Crested Grebe , 16 Brent Geese , 250 Black-headed Gulls , 5 Sandwich Terns , 16 Curlews , 65 Sanderlings , 21 Ringed Plovers , 3 Grey Plovers, a Greenshank and a Grey Seal. 10 Grey Herons were at La Sente and 5 Blackcaps visited a garden in St Clement. 6 Brent Geese were in St Aubin's Bay, near First Tower, this morning. Seen flying over Grantez this morning were 45 Swallows. Elsewhere, a Grey Wagtail and a Swallow were in Vallee des Vaux, another Grey Wagtail was in the Parade in St Helier and 2 Common Sandpipers were at Grands Vaux. At Le Catillon today were 27 Cattle Egrets . A round up of birds around St Ouen's Pond, yesterday evening included 100 Meadow Pipits moving South, also 18 Swallows , 10 alba Wagtails , 2 Yellow Wagtails , roosting in the reed bed, a Stonechat , 14 Teal , 12 Shovelers and 3 Water Rails . Below : The full Moon two days ago, as viewed from Noirmont.

28.09.2026 Wheatear at Noirmont MD A warm front to the East of the Island brought morning-long rain th the Cotentin, but left Jersey dry through the day. Wins were moderate from the northeast. Cattle Egrets are back on the Island in numbers, with 17 at St John's Manor, 25 at La Sente, 12 at Rue du Parcq and 4 at Mont a l'Abbe. Also at La Sente were 27 Little Egrets , 20 Grey Herons , 49 Black-headed Gulls , 25 Wood Pigeons , 6 Chiffchaffs , 20+ Meadow Pipits , 2 Ravens , a Robin and a Buzzard . At or passing over Noirmont through this morning were 131 Swallows , a House Martin , 119 Meadow Pipits, a Yellow Wagtail , 2 alba Wagtails , 49 Linnets , 12 Chaffinches , 4 Wheatears , 2 Stonechats , 5 Robins , a Chiffchaff , 5 Dartford Warblers, 3 Grey Herons , a Little Egret , a Marsh Harrier , 3 Buzzards and 3 Ravens , also a Clouded Yellow butterfly, while offshore were 70 Balearic Shearwaters , 6 Manx Shearwaters , 2 Gannets , 14 Black-headed Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Sandwich Tern . At St Ouen's Pond this morning were a Grey Heron , a Marsh Harrier , 3 Pochard , 6 Tufted Ducks , 5 Shovelers , 3 Teal and a Little Grebe , also 30 Ringed Plovers were at Sands. On Beauport Common were 3 Stonechats , 3 Dartford Warblers , 3 Chiffchaffs , a Blackcap and an overflying Skylark .

27.09.2026 Sandwich Tern by John Ovenden. A fair but wind start to the day, with rain arriving through the morning, drying up later this afternoon, in a gusty southerly wind. Passing Noirmont offshore, were 242 Balearic Shearwaters , 23 Manx Shearwaters , a Sooty Shearwater , 4 Mediterranean Gulls , 3 Black-headed Gulls , 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 28 Great Black-backed Gulls , and 3 Gannets . It was too windy for most visible migrants there, with 98 Swallows , 16 House Martins , a Sand Martin , 3 Yellow Wagtails , 2 Grey Wagtails , an alba Wagtail , 221 Meadow Pipits , and a Chaffinch , while on the ground there, were 6 Wheatears , 2 Stonechats and 2 Chiffchaffs , plus 3 Ravens and 2 Choughs . Passing Corbiere were 103 Balearic Shearwaters , 3 Manx Shearwaters , 85 Mediterranean Gulls , 70 Black-headed Gulls, 19 Turnstones and, at Petit Port were 108 Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Sandpiper . At Grouville Marsh from Dawn were 30 Swallows and 90 Jackdaws out of a roost, 5 Water Rails , 2 Teal , a Sedge Warbler , a Whitethroat , 15 Blackcaps , 20 Chiffchaffs , a Firecrest , 12 Cetti's Warblers , 3 Sparrowhawks , 2 Kestrels , 6 Buzzards including one pale-phased bird, 38 Ravens and flying over, a Grey Wagtail and 40 Meadow Pipits . On Grands Vaux reservoir were a Grey Wagtail , a Common Sandpiper and a Tufted Duck . In St Ouen's Bay this afternoon were 2 first winter Caspian Gulls , 4 Yellow-legged Gulls , 49 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 88 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Sandwich Terns , 63 Mediterranean Gulls , 90 Black-headed Gulls and 12 Ringed Plovers . At La Rocque were a Knot , 27 Turnstones , 19 Grey Plovers , 5 Redshanks , 2 Bar-tailed Godwits , 2 Sanderlings , 3 Dunlin and 205 Oystercatchers . Below : Thanks to Jo Bramley for her video of today's Knot at La Rocque

26.09.2026 A nice image of a Whinchat , taken by Tony Paintin at Beauport . TP High cloud was the order of the day, becoming warm (22c) in a light northerly wind. It was a gentle day at Noirmont, with a good list of species by the end of the morning. This included a Wheatear , 2 Whinchats , 7 Stonechats , 8+ Robins , 2 Whitethroats , 6 Chiffchaffs , 2 Jays , 41 Crows and 5 Ravens on the ground, while visible migrants overhead included a Skylark , 262 Swallows , 6 House Martins , 13 alba Wagtails , 286 Meadow Pipits , 56 Linnets , a Greenfinch , 11 Chaffinches and 7 Goldfinches . Offshore were a Grey Heron , 3 Balearic Shearwaters , 20 Gannets , 30 Black-headed Gulls , 3 Mediterranean Gulls , 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Sandwich Terns , with a Marsh Harrier , a Sparrowhawk , 7 Buzzards , a Kestrel and 2 Clouded Yellow butterflies also seen. On Beauport Common were 2 Stonechats , a Whinchat , 40+ Linnets and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, also 10 House Martins in flight. Seen in St Ouen's Bay through the day were 2 Yellow-legged Gulls , a Caspian Gull , 59 Great Black-backed Gulls , 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 273 Black-headed Gulls, 97 Mediterranean Gulls , and 16 Sandwich Terns . At Petit Port were 274 Oystercatchers, 31 Curlews and a Common Sandpiper . A flock of 50 Linnets flew over a garden at St Ouen. On the East of the Island, at Grouville Marsh, were 9 Cattle Egrets , at Grands Vaux reservoir were 7 Teal , a Common Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail while on Queen's Valley reservoir were 2 Teal , a Grey Heron , 15 Tufted Ducks and a Kingfisher . An extra for yesterday, was a flock of 5 Turnstones at St Aubin.

25.09.2026 Today's Short-eared Owl over Noirmont MD Hill fog spoiled the visibility this morning, slowly clearing to fair by the afternoon, winds moving to the north-west. Fog delayed today's visible migration until late morning. Seen around the north side of St Ouen's Pond from Dawn were 300 Swallows , 4 Sand Martins , 30 Goldfinches , 15 Linnets , 25 Meadow Pipits , 2 Sedge Warblers , 2 Reed Warblers , a Willow Warbler , 12 Chiffchaffs , 15 Cetti's Warblers , 3 Water Rails , 2 Stonechats , a Wheatear , 3 Teal , 6 Shovelers , 2 Grey Herons , a pale-phased Buzzard , 8 Marsh Harriers and a Sparrowhawk , while passing overhead there were 8 Yellow Wagtails , 5 alba Wagtails and 5 Snipe . On Mont Matthieu were a Tree Pipit , 70 Meadow Pipit s, 80 Linnets and 2 Marsh Harriers . In St Ouen's Bay were 24 Ringed Plovers , 347 Great Black-backed Gulls , 125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , c 350 Black-headed Gulls , 12 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Sandwich Terns . A Barn Owl was seen at St John's Maor. Seen at Noirmont were a Short-eared Owl, a Snipe , 2 Whinchats , 2 Wheatears , 4 Stonechats , 4 Robins , a party of birds which included 21 Long-tailed Tits , 10 Blue Tits , 3 Great Tits and 2 Chiffchaffs , also 4 Dartford Warblers , a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard . Flying over as conditions improved were 70 Swallows , a House Martin , 153 Meadow Pipits , an alba Wagtail and 2 Goldfinches , while offshore were a Great Skua , 19 Gannets , 21 Great Black-backed Gulls , 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 4 Mediterranean Gulls , 12 Black-headed Gulls and 14 Sandwich Terns . At Beauport were 3 Stonechats , a Whinchat , a Common Redstart , 2 Yellow Wagtails and a passage of Swallows passing over post 11:00. At St Aubin's Harbour were 14 Redshanks and 2 Little Egrets , while at St Aubin's Fort were 2 Grey Herons , 2 Little Egrets , 6 Linnets , 2 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Sandwich Tern . At Seymour Slip on the rising tide were 2 Bar-tailed Godwits , a Curlew and 13 Little Egrets .  Evening update: At Petit Port were 2 Common Sandpipers and in St Helier Marina were a Kingfisher and another Common Sandpiper .