Jersey Birds

16.08.2026. A Black Tern pictured west of St Ouen's Bay today by John Ovenden A day of varying amounts of cloud, still very warm at 26c in a northerly wind. Seabirds continue to be off the West coast in good numbers, although less gulls were on the move than yesterday. A significant raft of birds to the west of L'Etacq this morning included c 5000 gulls and 1,500 shearwaters . Passing Corbiere northwards this morning were 501 Balearic Shearwaters, 40 Manx Shearwaters , 4 Common Scoters , 69 Gannets , a Fulmar , 141 Sandwich Terns , 2 Common Terns , a Common Gull, a Kittiwake , 49 Mediterranean Gulls , 29 Black-headed Gull, 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 42 Great Black-backed Gulls and 3 Ringed Plovers . A Black Tern ( above) was photographed to the West of St Ouen's Bay. In Petit Port Bay this morning were 2 Whimbrels , 35 Curlews , 61 Mediterranean Gulls , 4 Black-headed Gulls and 7 Sandwich Terns . A stirring of migrants at Noirmont included a Cuckoo , a Common Redstart , 4 Tree Pipits , 2 Spotted Flycatchers , 15 Willow Warblers, 3 Firecrests including a juvenile, 3 Whinchats , 6 Wheatears , 8 Whitethroats and 70 Swallows , also a juvenile Dartford Warbler . This morning, at St Ouen's Pond, were 300 Swallows out of a roost, 12 Willow Warblers , 20 Sedge Warblers , 30 Reed Warblers , 3 Swifts , 20 House Martins , 4 Grey Herons , a Peregrine , a male Sparrowhawk , with overflying birds including a Black-tailed Godwit , a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper . In St Ouen's Bay later were 9 Yellow-legged Gulls, 170 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 85 Great Black-backed Gulls , 55 Mediterranean Gulls , a Common Gull and 3 Ringed Plovers . Another 17 Ringed Plovers were seen at Seymour, in Grouville Bay. A Grey Heron and 4 Moorhens were seen on a pond in Rue de la Garenne, Trinity. In St Aubin's Bay, 3 Sandwich Terns , 3 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull , and 170 Herring Gulls including 27 juveniles, and 11 Redshanks were at St Aubin.

19.08.2026 Sandwich Terns at Petit Port MD Finally, a morning of rain as a cold front passed over the Island, becoming fair this afternoon in a fresh westerly wind. The Black Tern remained at St Ouen's Pond for a third day and 3 Black-tailed Godwits flew low across the Pond, but were not seen again. Also on the Pond were 5 Teal , 16 Tufted Ducks , 2 Grey Herons , a Little Grebe , 38 Black-headed Gulls, 95 Starlings , 100+ Swallows , 15 House Martins , a Sand Martin , and 2 juvenile Stonechats , with 20 Great Black-backed Gulls and 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the backfields. On the dry Scrape ( despite the rain) were 5 White Wagtails and 2 Willow Warblers . In the Sandpits were 7 Sand Martins, including one nest still active, 4 House Martins , 5 Common Sandpipers , 34 Tufted Ducks , 21 Little Grebes , a Great Crested Grebe , 200 Coot , 11 Grey Herons , a juvenile Marsh Harrier , 3 White Wagtails , a Cetti's Warbler and a Raven . At Le Pulec were 32 Curlews , a juvenile Peregrine and 2 juvenile Stonechats . At the Grands Vaux reservoir mud pond were a Common Sandpiper and a Bullfinch . Below : One of the Stonechats , at the Wetland Centre, with thanks to Jo Bramley for the video.

18.08.2026 A distant view of today's Black Tern over St Ouen's Pond MD A cloudy to overcast day and cooler at 20c in a fresh west-southwest wind One of yesterday's Black Terns remained with us today at St Ouen's Pond. At the Pond were a Barn Owl , 5 Teal , a Shoveler , 23 Tufted Ducks , a Little Grebe , 36 Black-headed Gulls , a Yellow Wagtail and 3 Stonechats . Around the Pond yesterday evening were the 2 Black Terns , 2 Swifts , 1000 Swallows and a Yellow Wagtail into roost. At La Rocque this morning were 117 Ringed Plovers , a Little Ringed Plover , 4 Grey Plovers , a Bar-tailed Godwit , 5 Greenshanks , a Common Sandpiper , 4 Dunlin , 19 Sanderlings , 45 Turnstones , 5 Mediterranean Gulls , 135 Sandwich Terns , and 100 Swallows , mostly juveniles. Counts at Corbiere early this morning included 22 Manx Shearwaters , 6 Balearic Shearwaters , 21 Gannets , 9 Cormorants , 74 Mediterranean Gulls , 8 Black - headed Gulls , 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 3 Sandwich Terns and a Curlew . In Petit Port Bay were 36 Mediterranean Gulls , a Yellow-legged Gull , 19 Curlews and 4 Little Egrets . Evening update: At Grands Vaux reservoir this evening were a Common Sandpiper , 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Willow Warbler.

17.08.2026 Another great image from John Ovenden, this time of a Common Dolphin and Manx Shearwater in flight at the same time! A much cloudier, and cooler day than of late, with a few spots of drizzle mid-morning, winds from the West. Evening update: 2 Black Terns were feeding at St Ouen's Pond at last light this evening. Around the north side of St Ouen's Pond this morning were a Yellow Wagtail and 80 Swallows out of roost, also 8 Sedge Warbers , 10 Willow Warblers , 20 Reed Warblers, a Blackcap , 18 House Martins , 2 Sand Martins , 60 Starlings , a Stonechat and on St Ouen's Pond were 5 Teal , a Shoveler , 13 Tufted Ducks , a Little Grebe , 3 Grey Herons and 93 Black-headed Gulls . Seen in flight were a juvenile Peregrine , a Sparrowhawk , 3 Marsh Harriers , a Common Sandpiper , a Ringed Plover and 3 Ravens . In the Sandpits were a Great Crested Grebe , 12 Little Grebes, 6 Common Sandpipers , a Snipe and a Teal . In St Ouen's Bay this afternoon were the third different Caspian Gull of recent days, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls , 185 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 94 Great Black-backed Gulls and 136 Mediterranean Gulls . A much quieter morning at Corbiere saw 15 Balearic Shearwaters , 8 Manx Shearwaters , 2 Fulmars , 65 Gannets , 11 Cormorants , 24 Sandwich Terns , 50 Mediterranean Gulls , 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 11 Black-headed Gulls, 15 Great Black-backed Gulls and 9 Swallows fly by in three hours. At Petit Port were 47 Mediterranean Gulls , 23 Curlews and a Whimbrel and at Le Pulec were 3 Stonechats and 3 Choughs . Most of yesterday's fall of migrants at Noirmont had gone on their way by this morning with just a male Redstart and 40 Swallows seen. A pair of Collared Doves were nest building in a garden at Beauport. In Vallee des Vaux, Firecrests were feeding young, a Whitethroat was in a garden in St Martin and a Peregrine was seen near Petit Becquet on the north coast.

15.08.2026 A Storm Petrel off the West coast of Jersey, image courtesy of John Ovenden The fine and warm weather continued for another day today, with some high cloud early on which cleared to clear skies. Winds were from the North Gulls continued to appear in good numbers at Corbiere today and through the course of the morning, counts included 1,640 Herring Gulls, 372 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 184 Great Black-backed Gulls , 78 Black-headed Gulls , 44 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Kittiwakes , a Common Gull , 52 Sandwich Terns , a Common Gull , 8 Manx Shearwaters, a single Balearic Shearwater , 4 Fulmars , 79 Gannets , a Grey Heron , 24 Cormorants , 47 Shags , 23 Curlews , 2 Turnstones and a Common Sandpiper , with a Wheatear briefly of the rocks there. At Petit Port were 8 Curlews , a Whimbrel , 42 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Cormorants and in St Ouen's Bay were 16 Yellow-legged Gulls , 245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 115 Great Black-backed Gulls and 65 Mediterranean Gulls . At Le Pulec were a Yellow-legged Gull, 4 Stonechats , 2 Willow Warblers , 2 Common Sandpipers and a Grey Seal . There was little visible migration over Noirmont, but on the ground there, were a Common Redstart, a Whinchat , 2 Whitethroats , 3 Wheatears , 10 Dartford Warblers and 5 Willow Warblers . 3 Stonechats and a Willow Warbler were on Beauport Common. 12 Redshanks were at St Aubin. Around La Rocque were 257 Oystercatchers , 4 Turnstones , 3 Common Sandpipers and 11 Sandwich Terns and nearby, in Rue du Pont were 167 Black-backed Gulls , 48 Herring Gulls , 28 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Common Gulls , also 24 Swallows and 7 House Martins on the wires there. At the Farmer's Cricket Ground in St Martin were 3 White Wagtails.

14.08.2026 Today was about gulls, with large numbers on the West coast, notably Lesser Black-backed Gulls, as they begin their southward migration. MD Yet another warm and dry day with clear skies, but a northwest wind to add some cooling to the scene. Passing Corbiere heading West before 10:am, were 413 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 820 Herring Gulls , both these species including a large proportion of juvenile birds. Also seen were 136 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Yellow-legged Gulls , 115 Mediterranean Gulls, 89 Black-headed Gulls , a Kittiwake , 143 Balearic Shearwaters , 24 Manx Shearwaters , 3 Fulmars , 103 Gannets , 24 Sandwich Terns , 18 Cormorants , 20 Shags , 3 Grey Herons , 3 Little Egrets , 40 Curlews , and a Common Sandpiper . In Petit Port were 84 Mediterranean Gulls , 16 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Grey Herons . This afternoon, in St Ouen's Bay were a Caspian Gull , 27 Yellow-legged Gulls , 853 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 109 Great Black-backed Gulls , a Common Gull , 48 Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Sandpiper . On the north side of St Ouen's Pond from Dawn, were 150 Swallows , 8 Sand Martins, 20 Sedge Warblers , 30 Reed Warblers , 8 Willow Warblers , 10 Chiffchaffs , a Blackcap , a Swift , 25 House Martins , 4 Grey Herons , a Sparrowhawk , 14 Tufted Ducks , plus an overflying Redshank and a Curlew . In the Sandpits were 2 Greenshanks , 5 Common Sandpipers , a Pochard , 5 White Wagtails and 2 juvenile Common Gulls , while at Le Pulec were a juvenile Black Redstart , 2 Stonechats and a Common Sandpiper. By way of something different, 4 Cattle Egrets were at Maufant. Below : This morning was the annual Scrape clearance day and as usual, it was hot! Many thanks to the Ornithology Section Members of the Societe Jersiaise and local wildlife photographers who gave up their time to assist the National Trust Rangers in the clear up. All we need now is some water!!

13.08.2026 Wheatears are starting to trickle back through the Island on their return migration. This one was at Les Landes yesterday MD Another clear and sunny day, but a little less hot with the wind returning to the West. visit to Les Ecrehous this morning saw 150+ Sandwich Terns , 60+ Common Terns , a Gannet , 3 Grey Plovers , 100+ Turnstone , 75+ Oystercatchers , 2 Redshanks , 27 Ringed Plovers , 4 Willow Warblers , 10+ Rock Pipits and a Grey Seal . Another Ringed Plover was at Rozel Harbour. Off Corbiere early were an Arctic Skua, 6 Balearic Shearwaters , 6 Manx Shearwaters , 3 Fulmars , 74 Gannets , 20 Cormorants , 24 Shags , 106 Mediterranean Gulls, 141 Black-headed Gulls , 66 Great Black-backed Gulls , 109 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , a Common Gull , 20 Sandwich Terns , 30 Curlews , a Turnstone , 5 Ringed Plovers, a Common Sand Piper, a Sparrowhawk and 8 Rock Pipits , while in Petit Port Bay were 20 Curlews , 2 Whimbrels , 3 Common Sandpipers , 70 Mediterranean Gulls , 14 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Sandwich Terns . On the north side of St Ouen's Pond from first light were 100 Swallows and 4 Sand Martins out of a roost, 55 Reed Warblers , 40 Sedge Warblers , 12 Willow Warblers , 15 Cetti's Warblers , 10 Chiffchaffs , a Garden Warbler , a Whitethroat , a Pied Flycatcher , 25 House Martins, 4 Swifts , 2 Teal , 5 Grey Herons , 60 Goldfinches and 34 Starlings , while flying overhead were a Greenshank , 2 Common Sandpipers , 2 Green Sandpipers, a Lapwing , a Peregrine , a pale-phase Buzzard , a Sparrowhawk , a Kestrel , 3 Marsh Harriers and a Little Egret . On Mont Matthieu were 2 Willow Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler . In St Ouen's Bay this afternoon were 2 juvenile Caspian Gulls, 16 Yellow-legged Gulls , 566 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 287 Great Black-backed Gulls , 27 Mediterranean Gulls , 74 Black-headed Gulls and a single Common Gull . At Sorel were 2 Marsh Harriers , 2 Buzzards and a Peregrine . One late record for yesterday was of a Spotted Flycatcher in a garden at Rozel.

12.08.2026 One of five Kestrels currently at Les Landes. MD An even hotter day today at 34c, with clear skies and a fresh east-southeast wind. Seen at St Ouen's Pond from first light were 200 Swallows , 10 Sand Martins , 25 House Martins , 22 Swifts , 6 Green Sandpipers, 20 Sedge Warblers , 25 Reed Warblers , 15 Willow Warblers , 2 Wheatears , a Snipe and 2 White Wagtails. 2 Storm Petrels were caught and ringed at Corbiere overnight and from sunrise there, birds recorded included 44 Balearic Shearwaters , 49 Manx Shearwaters , a Guillemot , 10 Cormorants , a Fulmar , 87 Mediterranean Gulls , 74 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls , 3 Kittiwakes , 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 34 Great Black-backed Gulls , 51 Sandwich Terns , a Common Sandpiper and 2 Ringed Plovers . At Petit Port were 2 Whimbrels , 10 Curlews , 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and 43 Mediterranean Gulls. In St Ouen's Bay this afternoon were 8 Yellow-legged Gulls, 166 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 94 Great Black-backed Gulls , 25 Mediterranean Gulls and a Wheatear . At Noirmont this morning were 50 Swallows, a Sand Martin, a Whinchat, 2 Whitethroats, a Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff and an overflying Green Sandpiper. A Barn Owl was seen at La Blinerie and near to Holme Grown were 40 House Martins and 5 Swallows . Below : This Swallowtail was in a garden at Red Houses this afternoon. MD

11.08.2026 This Pied Flycatcher , a scarce passage migrant in Jersey, was ringed and released at St Ouen's Pond this morning. Many thanks as ever to David Buxton, for the image. A hot anti-cyclonic day with clear skies and a moderate east-northeast wind, touching 30c. A ringing session at St Ouen's Pond recorded a Pied Flycatcher (above), 12 Willow Warblers , 15 Sedge Warblers, 25 Reed Warblers , 2 Wheatears , a Whitethroat , a Blackcap , 5 Chiffchaffs , and a Stonechat . On or over St Ouen's Pond were 4 Green Sandpipers , a Ringed Plover , a Lapwing , 5 Swifts , 20 House Martins , 6 Sand Martins , 6 Swallows , a Peregrine , a Sparrowhawk , 4 Marsh Harriers , a pale-phase Buzzard , 5 Teal , 4 Shovelers , 23 Tufted Ducks , 2 Little Egrets , 6 Grey Herons , 41 Black-headed Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , also another Willow Warbler in bushes at the Wetland Centre car park. Another Wheatear was at Grosnez along with a Kestrel and 6 Linnets. A busy first two hours of seawatching at Corbiere saw 118 Balearic Shearwaters, 102 Manx Shearwaters, 121 Gannets , 4 Fulmars , 20 Cormorants , 76 Mediterranean Gulls , 103 Black-headed Gulls , 107 Sandwich Terns , 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 45 Great Black-backed Gulls , 4 Ringed Plovers , 2 Peregrines , 4 Little Egrets and 5 Bottle-nosed Dolphins . In Petit Port Bay on the falling tide were 22 Curlews , 2 Whimbrels , 9 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 100+ Oystercatchers . At St Aubin were 60 Black-headed Gulls . On St Ouen's Beach this evening were 6 Yellow-legged Gulls , 70 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 60 Great Black-backed Gulls , 8 Mediterranean Gulls and a Sandwich Tern . Yesterday evening around St Ouen's Pond were 400 Swallows , 5 Sand Martins , 5 Sedge Warblers , 15 Reed Warblers , 2 Wheatears , 20 House Martins , 2 Stonechats , 4 Swifts , 4 Grey Herons , a Peregrine and 3 Marsh Harriers .