
17.09.2026 A beautiful view of an Arctic Skua, taken this week by John Ovenden
A morning of overcast conditions with some heavy rain as a cold front passed through, becoming fair in a strong west-northwest wind.
It was seabirds to the fore at Noirmont this morning. Birds seen included 276 Balearic Shearwaters, 5 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas, 59 Sandwich Terns, 54 Black-headed Gulls, 16 Mediterranean Gulls, 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 12 Great Black-backed Gulls, 58 Gannets, and 2 Cormorants. A few birds seen on or over the headland included 15 Swallows, 15 Meadow Pipits, a Peregrine, 2 Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk, a Blackcap, a Dartford Warbler and a Chiffchaff.
In the more sheltered Sandpits at Le Braye were 4 Grey Herons, 50 Swallows, 32 Great Black-backed Gulls, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 18 Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, 56 Tufted Ducks, a male Pochard, c 350 Coot, a Common Sandpiper and a White Wagtail. At Petit Port were 21 Curlews, 2 Sandwich Terns, 13 Great Black-backed Gulls, c 200 Oystercatchers, 28 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Common Sandpipers, while at St Aubin were 16 Redshanks, a Turnstone, 5 Grey Herons and 4 Little Egrets roosting in trees behind the Yacht Club.
At La Rocque were 22 Sandwich Terns, 16 Sanderlings, a Grey Plover, 27 Turnstones, and at Le Hurel were 2 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Sandwich Terns, 13 Sanderlings, 8 Turnstones, 11 Ringed Plovers and at La Sente were a Common Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 17 Grey Herons.
Yesterday
evening, at St Ouen's Pond were 9
Shovelers, 5
Teal, a
Water Rail, a
Common Sandpiper, a
Sedge Warbler, 8
Marsh Harriers and just 2
Swallows.










