Jersey Birds

19.06.2026 A close up of a Balearic Shearwater off of Jersey's West coast, with thanks to John Ovenden for the image. JO It was another morning spoiled by fog, but with a fine afternoon following, winds light from the northwest. Seen through the murk at La Rocque this morning were a Whimbrel , 10 Curlews , 65 Oystercatchers , 6 Grey Herons , 4 Little Egrets, 2 Swallows and a House Martin , also a Hummingbird Hawkmoth on the harbour wall. A further 67 Oystercatchers , a Grey Heron and another Whimbrel were at le Hocq. At Fountain Lane were 3 singing Reed Warblers and 2 singing Cetti's Warblers . At Rue des Pres were 9 singing Reed Warblers , 3 singing Cetti's Warblers and a Marsh Harrier . Swifts featured again, with 42 over Vallee des Vaux, 3 at St Catherine's and 12 over Red Houses this afternoon. Odds and ends at St Ouen's Pond Scrape included a female Shoveler , 2 Oystercatchers and 2 juvenile Lapwings .

18.06.2026 Our Shelducks seem to have had a bad breeding season this year, and the pair that produced 4 young near L'Etacq lost them all in a short space of time after hatching. MD Three seasons in one day, with a clear start, thick fog for a period of the morning, heavy rain as a trough passed through, and warm sunshine this afternoon. Between the foggy periods and the rain arriving, birds passing Corbiere included 214 Swifts, 157 Balearic Shearwaters , 9 Manx Shearwaters, 9 Fulmars , 34 Gannets , 5 Cormorants , 2 Little Egrets from the south, 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , a Kittiwake , 38 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Sandwich Tern and 12 Bottle-nosed Dolphins . Up to 4 Ravens were on the headland. At St Ouen's Pond were 2 Swifts , 20 Sand Martins , 10 Swallows , 3 Grey Herons , a Tufted Duck and a male Stonechat , with 7 Lapwings in the Scrape field. In Grouville Marsh were 2 Grey Herons , also a possible Cattle Egret .

17.06.2026 A migrant immature Peregrine passing over Corbiere this morning MD A cloudy morning gave way to a fine afternoon, feeling warm at 22c in a light west-southwest wind. Some visible migration was in place over Corbiere this morning, notably 517 Swifts in three hours, 20 Sand Martins , a single Swallow , a White Wagtail and a Stonechat . Offshore were 89 Balearic Shearwaters , 12 Manx Shearwaters , 9 Guillemots , 2 Razorbills , 2 Fulmars , 15 Gannets , 7 Cormorants , 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 34 Great Black-backed Gulls . Off L'Etacq was a feeding patch with up to 300 Balearic Shearwaters with local Gulls and a single Puffin was seen off of Grosnez. Seen from Mont Felard were 2 Swifts , a Swallow and 4 Red-billed Choughs and at Sandybrook were 10 Long-tailed Tits . Non-bird sightings today included 10+ Purple Hairstreaks on Mont les Vaux, a White-lettered Hairstreak at Val de la Mare, several Elephant Hawk Moths and a Privet Hawk Moth on Mont Felard and a Painted Lady at Corbiere. Evening update : A visit to Les Minquiers saw 1 Whimbrel , 12 Turnstones , a Sandwich Tern and 2 Painted Lady butterflies. In the Sandpits early this evening were a Redshank , a pair of Shelduck , 8 Oystercatchers , 28 Tufted Ducks , a male Pochard , a male Wigeon , 100 Coot , 5 Little Egrets, 60 Sand Martins including good numbers of young, 2 White Wagtails, 2 Whitethroats , a Cetti's Warbler and a Reed Warbler with fledged young. 4 Ravens were in the Desalination plant area at La Rosiere.

16.06.2026 An Oystercatcher at Corbiere. MD An overcast morning gave way to a fair to cloudy afternoon, mild in a west-northwest wind. On the West coast today, at Le Pulec were 6 Curlews , a Whimbrel , 7 Little Egrets , a Shelduck , 5 Ravens and 2 Peregrines , while in Petit Port Bay were 2 Shelduck , but no signs of any breeding there so far this season. In the Sandpits were a Pochard , 28 Tufted Ducks , 103 Coot , a Little Grebe, 13 Swifts , 60 Sand Martins , a Reed Warbler with fledged young, a Cetti's Warbler , a Stonechat with young and a Grey Heron . 2 Stonechats , one a juvenile, were north of St Ouen's Pond, also a singing Skylark , while overhead were 4 Swifts and 30 Sand Martins . In the Scrape fields were at least 6 Lapwings . In fields at Les Landes were 3 singing Whitethroats, a Reed Warbler and a pair of Marsh harriers. Early passage past Corbiere included 88 Balearic Shearwaters , 3 Manx hearwaters , 5 Fulmars , 15 Gannets , 7 Guillemots , 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , a Mediterranean Gull, a Kittiwake , a Raven and 2 different female Marsh Harriers . Yesterday : Sadly, a Manx Shearwater was found dead on the beach at Beauport.

15.06.2026 A Buzzard at Les Landes recently. MD A cloudy day with the odd shower, mild at 22c in a south, becoming west, wind. There were some hints of migration today. Seen from Corbiere, were 22 Black-headed Gulls including 3 juveniles, 10 Mediterranean Gulls , 8 Curlews , a Whimbrel , 122 Balearic Shearwaters , 37 Manx Shearwaters , 3 Fulmars , 25 Gannets , 7 Guillemots , a Razorbill , 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 35 Great Black-backed Gulls , 19 Swifts heading south, a single Sand Martin and also a female Marsh Harrier and 5+ Bottle-nosed Dolphins . A single Curlew was at Petit Port. At St Aubin were 20 Swifts , 4 Black-headed Gulls , 2 Curlews and a Little Egret , while Beauport Common was a singing Whitethroat . Another 2 singing Whitethroats wer south of La Moye Prison and at Crabbe were, 3 Ravens , 4 Choughs including a juvenile and yet another singing Whitethroat . Further Swifts were heard over Garden Lane. In the sandpits al La Braye were 94 Coot , 30 Tufted Ducks , 2 Little Grebes , a Little Egret , 4 Oystercatchers , 2 Shelduck and 2 Marsh Harriers .

14.06.2026 Cirl Bunting on song in Grouville. MD A fine day, warm at 25c in a southeasterly wind. In the early hours of this morning, a ringing session at Plemont ringed and released 3 Manx Shearwaters and 5 Storm Petrels , including one wearing a ring from Alderney. In the more sociable hours of today, 15 Razorbills , 11 Swifts , a Gannet , 7 Fulmars , 3 Ravens , 2 Marsh Harriers , a pair of Kestrel , 5 Swallows , 12 Linnets , 5 Greenfinches and 3 Goldfinches were also recorded there. Shearwater numbers continue to increase and passing Corbiere in 4 hours this morning were 628 Balearic Shearwaters and 125 Manx Shearwaters . Also passing were 3 Shelducks , 6 Common Scoters , 19 Guillemots , 12 Razorbills , 24 Gannets , 3 Fulmars , 6 Cormorants , 31 Shags , 8 Sandwich Terns , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , 12 Kittiwakes , 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 28 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Marsh Harrier . At St Ouen's Pond Scrape were 9 Lapwings and a Grey Heron . No reports of the Black-winged Stilts , so far today. 2 Whitethroats and a Dartford Warbler were on Beauport Common and another Dartford Warbler was singing at Gorselands. Seen from Gorey were a Manx Shearwater and 10 Swifts .

13.06.2026 A fine drake Tufted Duck on the Kempt Tower pools today. MD The day started with fog shrouding the west of the Island, but clearing before lunch time to a sunny afternoon in a moderate westerly wind. Reports were biased towards the East side of the Island, where visibility was far better and at La Rocque over the early full tide were 3 Sandwich Terns , a Balearic Shearwater , 7 Cormorants , a Curlew and 45 Oystercatchers . In Grouville Bay later in the day were the first 5 returning Black - headed Gulls , 3 Mediterranean Gulls , 11 Great Black-backed Gulls , 120 Oystercatchers , 4 Grey Herons arriving from the East, also 5 House Martins . On Grouville Common, 3 male Cirl Buntings were singing and seen from St Catherine's were a Manx Shearwater, a Fulmar , 5 Gannets , a Peregrine , 2 Little Egrets and 3 Swifts . In St Catherine's Woods were 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers , 2 Firecrests , a Bullfinch , 2 Linnet , a Moorhen with 2 young, and good numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackaps . Overhead were a Buzzard and 4 Jackdaws . The 2 Black-winged Stilts were at St Ouen's Pond again, their stay now approaching three weeks, also 2 Barnacle Geese . At the Scrape were 8 Lapwings , 2 Oystercatchers , 4 adult Shovelers , a Tufted Duck , a Swift and 50 assorted hirundines . On the Kempt Tower pools were an adult and a juvenile Little Grebe , 4 Tufted Ducks with just one chick between them, 2 Whitethroats , and several Reed Warblers , 2 Cetti's Warblers and 5 Chiffchaffs . In the Orchid field was a family of Stonechats with fledged young. Off Le Pulec, 15 Balearic Shearwaters were with 50+ Herring Gulls at the feeding patch offshore. On Les Landes was a family of 5 Greenfinches . Evening update : At Les Ecrehous today were 120 Oystercatchers , 4 Curlews , 40 Turnstones , a Ringed Plover , 3 Sandwich Terns and numerous Common Terns . 8 Curlews were at La Rocque late this afternoon. Back to yesterday , when 20 Razorbills were along the northwest coast.

12.06.2026 A male Stonechat , one of a pair currently looking after a juvenile bird on the north side of St Ouen's Pond MD An overcast day in a mild west-southwest wind. Some brisk early morning passage past Corbiere involved an Arctic Skua , 438 Balearic Shearwaters , 24 Manx Shearwaters , 4 Shelducks , 14 Guillemots , 21 Gannets , 33 Shags , a Kittiwake , 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 31 Great Black-backed Gulls . 4 Ravens and a Marsh Harrier also visited the headland. Seen on and around st Ouen's Pond Scrape were the 2 Black-winged Stilts, 3 Shovelers including a female with 5 chicks, 2 Oystercatchers mating, 2 Little Egrets , 3 Lapwings and a Grey Heron . On the north side of St Ouen's Pond were a pair of Stonechats , 3 Linnets , a Skylark , a Swift , a few Sand Martins and Swallows and a flock of Long-tailed Tits in the willows there. At Kempt Tower pools were a female Tufted Duck with a single chick, a Marsh Harrier , a Chiffchaff and a few Reed Warblers and a Coot with one chick. At St Aubin were 2 Shelducks and 2 Swifts and at St Catherine's breakwater were 3 Swifts . Singing birds in a garden in Vallee des Vaux included Firecrest , Goldcrest and Chiffchaff . Evening update: In addition to the shearwaters passing Corbiere this morning, were another 194 seen passing La Coupe. Below : Two distant images of this morning's Arctic Skua , seen passing Corbiere in the gloom. MD

11.06.2026 Female Tufted Duck with one of her two surviving offspring at Kempt Tower pools yesterday. MD It was another cold-feeling day with overcast skies and some light rain, in a fresh west-southwest wind. On the best day, so far this year, for shearwaters, 428 Balearic Shearwaters and 82 Manx Shearwaters passed Corbiere during this morning. Also seen there, were 12 Guillemots , 3 Razorbills , 12 Gannets , 4 Fulmars , 4 Cormorants , a Kittiwake and a Bottle-nosed Dolphin , with 4 Ravens in the area. 2 Shelduck were at Petit Port and a Hobby was seen at Les landes. The 2 Black-winged Stilts continued their vigil at St Ouen's Pond and also on the Pond were 5 Tufted Ducks , a Lapwing and an adult Little Grebe . 5 Swifts , 30 Sand Martins and a House Martin were feeding overhead there. On the Scrape and surrounding fields were 2 male Shovelers , a male Tufted Duck and 8 Lapwings . At St Aubin were 2 Shelduck again, a Grey Heron and a little Egret . On Grands Vaux reservoir were 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Tufted Ducks and at Le Don Wheeler was a juvenile Grey Heron . 3 young Kestrels are about to fledge at a private site by Longueville Manor Extras for yesterday , at Le Pulec, included 6 Little Egrets , 11 Cormorants , a Shelduck and 2 Stonechats .