
23.10.2026 Little Gulls in Le Braye Sandpits this morning, during the passage of Storm Austen. MD
The first named Storm of the season, Storm Austen did it's worst through the night and all day today, with winds rising to storm force 10, gusting to 76 mph, initially from the South but slowly veering to the west-northwest with periods of heavy rain. Seas were blown out.
Nothing was visible, passing at sea off the West coast, with a combination of high seas, large swells and poor visibility in the rain and spray. In the relative protection of Le Braye Sandpits in St Ouen's Bay this morning were 22 Little Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 18 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, 14 Cormorants, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 19 Little Grebes, 54 Tufted Ducks, 16 Pochard, 87 Coot and 8 Little Egrets. In the Sandpits this afternoon were 3 Little Gulls, probably different to the morning ones, which flew off as a flock. also 48 Cormorants and a Kittiwake. In the backfields behind St Ouen's Pond this afternoon were 3 Caspian Gulls, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 204 Great Black-backed Gulls, 70 Herring Gulls, a Common Gull, 39 Curlews and 8 Pied Wagtails.
On the East coast, in St Catherine's Bay, were 3 Great Crested Grebes, 54 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Gannets, 3 Cormorants, 4 Little Egrets, 3 Sandwich Terns, 145 Black-headed Gulls, 12 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Rock Pipits and a Black Redstart.
A garden at Le Hucquet in St Martin hosted a Fieldfare and Song Thrushes, feeding on berries there, and a garden in Vallee des Vaux held 7 Redwings and 2 Firecrests. At Trinity Manor were 13 Cattle Egrets and on Grands Vaux Reservoir were 5 Cormorants, 35 Woodpigeons, a Grey Heron, a Siskin and a Sparrowhawk, At Handois Reservoir were 16 Tufted Ducks, a Grey Heron, 8 Cormorants, 18 Long-tailed Tits, a Firecrest and 2 Chiffchaffs.
Below: More views of
Little Gulls at Le Braye today. MD












