19.01.2025 Another superb image of a Bittern at the Wetland Centre, courtesy of Romano RDC
Another cold (4c) day, with overcast conditions in a fresh south-southeasterly wind.
Numbers of birds on St Ouen's Pond this morning, made it look a little like Swan Lake without the Swans! Counts there included a Bittern, 215 Brent Geese, 280 feral Greylags ( including one Swan Goose), 96 Lapwings, 5 Golden Plovers, 9 Snipe, 54 Mediterranean Gulls, 18 Black-headed Gulls, 13 Wigeon, 25 Teal, 19 Shoveler, 40 Mallard, 5 Pochard, a Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebes, a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, a Chiffchaff, 4 Reed Buntings and a Water Pipit!
Things were quieter at Corbiere, birds seen there including a Red-throated Diver, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Fulmar, 17 Gannets, 2 Razorbills, 5 Guillemots, 4 Cormorants, 49 Shags, a Grey Heron, 16 Kittiwakes, 3 Common Gulls, 19 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Raven.
At La Rocque were a Great Northern Diver, a Slavonian Grebe, a Black-necked Grebe, 140 Dunlin and 90 Grey Plovers, while in Grouville Marsh were 32 Coot. In La Sente were 69 Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, 5 Lapwings, 26 Grey Herons, 24 Little Egrets and 3 Bullfinches. 7 Cattle Egrets were near Grouville Church and a further 17 Cattle Egrets were in St Clement, near the Church. On Grouville Common were 8 Song Thrushes and 4 Redwings. 10 more Cattle Egrets were at Cowley Farm.
Bramblings are very scarce this winter, so sightings of singles in a garden on Mont Cochon and at the Trinity Orchard were welcome, with a Fieldfare also at the latter.
In Beaumont Marsh were 380 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Shoveler and a Teal and at St Aubin were 28 pale-bellied Brent Geese and 33 Redshanks.
In Vallee des Vaux today were garden visitors, 4 Bullfinches, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Firecrests, 6 Redwings, and a Blackcap with 22 Ravens and 6 Woodcock in flight and 300 Chaffinches across the valley. Another 150 Chaffinches were in Rue des Touettes in St Mary.
