Jersey Birds

19.08.2025 Black Tern on St Ouen's Beach, image courtesy of Romano RDC An unsettled day with some heavy thundery showers, but feeling warm in an easterly wind. There was a good selection of early Autumn migrants around the Island. At Sorel were an early Wryneck , near the Aviary, a Wheatear , a Redstart , 4 Whitethroats , 2 Blackcaps , a Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaffs and also, 2 Swallowtail butterflies. At Noirmont, the Nightingale was still by the bunker, and also seen were 4 Redstarts , a Whinchat , a Wheatear , 8 Whitethroats , a Willow Warbler , 8 Swallows , 11 Ravens and another Swallowtail . A Hobby was seen at Victoria Tower and in Grouville Marsh were 10 Reed Warblers and a Willow Warbler . In Grouville Bay were 2 Great White Egrets, 9 Grey Plovers , 20 Sanderlings , 2 Greenshanks , 2 Curlews , 30 Turnstones , 90 Sandwich Terns and 4 Little Egrets . A Wheatear was see at Le Bourg. In St Aubin's Harbour were 6 Redshanks , 5 Turnstones and 3 Little Egrets . Corbiere was a little less busy in the changeable conditions, but still, 270 Balearic Shearwaters , a Manx Shearwater . a Common Scoter , 18 Teal , 2 Fulmars , 31 Gannets , 23 Mediterranean Gulls , 34 Black-headed Gulls , 135 Sandwich Terns , 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 10 Cormorants were seen. Waders there included a Whimbrel , a Ringed Plover , a Common Sandpiper , a Dunlin and 2 Greenshanks , one of which was taken by a Peregrine , were recorded there. A Yellow Wagtail flew over and a Willow Warbler was in bushes there. At Petit Port were 74 Sandwich Terns , 48 Common Terns , 22 Curlews , 2 Redshanks , a Yellow-legged Gull , 20 Mediterranean Gulls , a Grey Heron and 4 Little Egrets . The Scrape is still drying, despite this morning's rain. On it this morning were a Wood Sandpiper , 2 Green Sandpipers , a Common Sandpiper , a Redshank , a Grey Heron , a juvenile White Wagtail , 10 Swallows , 4 Sand Martins and 2 House Martins . Near Sands in St Ouen's Bay were a Redshank , 8 Dunlin , 6 Ringed Plovers , 2 Sanderlings , 100 Black-headed Gulls and 5 Sandwich Terns . On St Ouen's Beach this afternoon and evening were a Yellow-legged Gull , 184 Great Black-backed Gulls , 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls ,2 Sandwich Terns. This evening, in Maize fields near Trinity Manor were 250+ Swallows roosting, 2 Hobbys hunting and a Cetti's Warbler at a nearby pond. Below: Swallowtails are having a good year in the Island, with several breeding sites recorded. Thanks go to Mary de Carteret for this image of one at Noirmont today. MDC

18.08.2025 A great image of the 3 Little Terns on St Ouen's Beach last night. Note that the adult bird on the left is wearing a colour-ring from Ireland Many thanks to Romano for the picture. RDC A muggy day of medium level cloud with the off light shower in a moderate to fresh Easterly wind. The seabird invasion off the West coast continued today and seen from Corbiere during a morning-long seawatch were an Arctic Skua , a Great Crested Grebe , a Black Tern , 646 Sandwich Terns , 44 Common Terns , 230 Balearic Shearwaters , 4 Manx Shearwaters , 146 Mediterranean Gulls , 85 Black-headed Gulls , a Common Gull , 43 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 20 Gannets , 9 Cormorants, 22 Shags , a Redshank and 3 Little Egrets . Also seen were 7 Swifts , a Peregrine and a Wheatear . Roosting at Petit Port at noon were 267 Sandwich Terns , 59 Common Terns , 59 Mediterranean Gulls and 25 Curlews as well as the usual Oystercatchers and Herring Gulls . Seen off Le Hurel were 200 Black-headed Gulls , 6 Mediterranean Gulls , 33 Sandwich Terns, a Common Tern, 36 Turnstones, 3 Curlews , a Dunlin , a Redshank , a Greenshank and a Grey Plover . At the Gunsite were 30 Sandwich Terns and 3 Curlews . At St Ouen's Pond were 4 Grey Heron , a Pochard , a Little Grebe , 2 Marsh Harriers , 20 House Martins , 10+ Swallows and a Reed Warbler and on the Scrape were 3 Teal , 2 Snipe , 2 Kestrels , 40 Linnets , 6 House Martins and 5 Swallows . A Willow Warbler was in a garden at Red Houses this evening. Evening update : An adult Roseate Tern was roosting at Petit Port this evening. A Fulmar which was seen, stuck on a ledge on the North coast, near Grand Becquet, was successfully recovered by the States Fire Service yesterday evening. The bird was in good condition, but weak after it's ordeal and is now recuperating in care at the JSPCA. Congratulations to all concerned. Below: For those interested in such things, below are the ringing details on a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, seen yesterday at Petit Port. Please note the "place" ringed in Poland, only 48 digits long!

17.08.2025 Juvenile Peregrine at Corbiere this morning. Image: MD A fine and warm day, but with a strong and gusty easterly wind. It was a second busy day at Corbiere, with Tuna boils attracting lots of birds. Counts there included 252 Balearic Shearwaters, 6 Manx Shearwaters , 2 Arctic Skuas , 425 Sandwich Terns , 57 Common Terns , with another 70 "commic" terns further out, a Little Tern, 15 Cormorants , 153 Mediterranean Gulls , 51 Black-headed Gulls , 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 3 Grey Herons, a Little Egret , 2 Common Sandpipers, an Oystercatcher , 2 Peregrines , a Sparrowhawk , 2 Wheatears and a Chiffchaff seen, also a Grey Seal. At Petit Port were 22 Sandwich Terns and 52 Mediterranean Gulls . At Le Pulec were 24 Curlews , 150+ Sandwich Terns , 23 Shags and a Stonechat . Around the Scrape at St Ouen's Pond were a Shelduck , 2 Green Sandpipers , 3 Snipe , 2 Yellow Wagtails , a White Wagtail and 14 Linnets . Evening update: In St Ouen's this evening were 3 Little Terns, including an adult with an Irish colour-ring, a Black Tern , 55 Common Terns , 180 Sandwich Terns , 2 Yellow-legged Gulls , 26 Mediterranean Gulls , 67 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 64 Great Black-backed Gulls . Below : Another view of the Peregrine at Corbiere. Image: MD

16.08.2025 Juvenile Common Gull in St Ouen's Bay, image thanks to Romano RDC A clear and warm day in a fresh to strong Easterly wind It was a busy morning at Corbiere in the strong wind conditions. Seen passing through the morning were 74 Balearic Shearwaters , 5 Manx Shearwaters , 228 Sandwich Terns, 220 Black-headed Gulls , 68 Mediterranean Gulls , 2 Yellow-legged Gulls , 188 Herring Gulls , 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 33 Great Black-backed Gulls , a Fulmar , 94 Gannets , 13 Cormorants and 75 Shags . 3 Wheatears flew in and 2 Peregrines were hunting there too. 135 Mediterranean Gulls were roosting in Petit Port Bay, a day record for the site, also 18 Black-headed Gulls , 44 Sandwich Terns , 23 Curlews , a Grey Heron and 12 Little Egrets were present. Around St Ouen's Pond and Scrape were a Little Stint , a Wood Sandpiper , a Green Sandpiper , a Common Sandpiper , a Ringed Plover , 3 Snipe , a juvenile Shelduck , a Teal , 2 Reed Warblers , a Willow Warbler and a Grey Heron . A Spoonbill flew in near El Tico but has not been reported since and in St Ouen's Bay were 40+ Sandwich Terns, feeding offshore. 2 Wheatears were at Le Pulec. Seen at a windy Noirmont were 7 Wheatears , a Golden Plover , 3 Tree Pipits , 2 Willow Warblers , 15 Sand Martins , a House Martin , with another Swift seen over Beauport. At La Rocque were 94 Black-headed Gulls , 4 Sandwich Terns , a Redshank and 2 Wheatears and seen from Webber Lane were 3 Ringed Plovers , 2 Turnstones , 3 Redshanks , 46 Black-headed Gulls and 3 Great Black-backed Gulls . 9 Cattle Egrets were at Grouville Marsh and a Pied Flycatcher visited a garden in St Clement. Evening update: A Turtle Dove was on the North Road in St John, near the Millenium Cross and 7 Curlews were in St Aubin's Bay. In St Ouen's Bay this evening were 20 Common Terns , 100 Sandwich Terns , 3 Yellow-legged Gulls , 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 78 Great Black-backed-Gulls , 18 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Dunlin .

15.08.2025 . A newly arrived Yellow Wagtail at Noirmont this morning. Image: MD A mainly fine and warm day in a moderate to fresh easterly wind. There were more signs of Autumn migration getting underway today. At Noirmont, yesterday's Nightingale was still present near the bunker, but also still elusive. Also on the ground were 9 Wheatears , a Redstart , 4 Whitethroats , a Dartford Warbler and 3 Willow Warblers . Flying over, or landing a were a Hobby , 2 Tree Pipits , the first 2 Yellow Wagtails of the Autumn passage, a flock of 4 Black-tailed Godwits , 82 Swallows , 65 Sand Martins , 6 Swifts , 45 Black-headed Gulls , 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , also 2 Swallowtail butterflies heading North. Offshore, c 600 Gannets were following a trawler heading back towards the French coast. Local birds seen included 2 Marsh Harriers , 8 Buzzards , a Kestrel, 32 Ravens in the air together, and 6 Jackdaws . At St Ouen's Pond this morning were 120 Swallows , 10 Sand Martins , 20 House Martins , 3 Willow Warblers , 12 Sedge Warblers , 20 Reed Warblers , a Snipe , a Pochard , a Shelduck , a male Reed Bunting , 6 Marsh Harriers , a Sparrowhawk , 2 Ravens and a Great Spotted Woodpecker . On the Scrape were 2 Green Sandpipers , a Wood Sandpiper , a Little Stint , a Teal , a Sedge Warbler , a Reed Warbler , a juvenile Shelduck , a Kingfisher , and good numbers of Swallows . On St Ouen's Beach this afternoon were 12 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls , 224 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 211 Great Black-backed Gulls , 3 Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Common Gull . On Mont Matthieu before daylight this morning were a Wheatear and a Barn Owl. A Wheatear and a Stonechat were seen at Plemont and another Wheatear was at the Gunsite in St Aubin's Bay. Another Swallowtail butterfly was seen on Old St John's Road on the north side of St Helier. A few extras from the north side of St Ouen's Pond yesterday evening include 120 Swallows , 10 Sand Martins , 10 Reed Warblers , 3 Sedge Warblers , and a Willow Warbler . A Barn Owl was also heard there. Below : Gulls on St Ouen's Beach this afternoon, image by courtesy of Romano da Costa

14.08.2025 A Wood Sandpiper on the Scrape this morning. Image: MD A fair to fine day, becoming very warm in a westerly wind. Some good interest on the ground at Noirmont today included a Nightingale which was still present this evening, near the bunker, a Spotted Flycatcher , a Redstart , 2 Wheatears , 4 Whitethroats, a Willow Warbler and a Dartford Warbler . Some light passage overhead included 150 Swallows , 60 Sand Martins , 30 House Martins, 3 Swallows , a Whimbrel and 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls . A morning visit to Les Ecrehous saw 220 Sandwich Terns , 40 Common Terns , 30 Turnstones , 48 Ringed Plovers , 11 Grey Plovers , a Whimbrel , 2 Redshanks , 14 Little Egrets , a Whitethroat and 10 Rock Pipits . At St Ouen's Pond Scrape were a Little Stint , 2 Green Sandpipers , a Wood Sandpiper , a Common Sandpiper , a Snipe , a Lapwing , a Reed Bunting , a male Greenfinch , 4 Reed Warblers, the Yellow-crowned Bishop again and overhead, 100 Swallows , 10 Sand Martins , 8 House Martins . In St Ouen's Bay were 2 Yellow-legged Gulls , 230 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 175 Great Black-backed Gulls and in petit Port Bay were 32 Curlews , 76 Mediterranean Gulls , 4 Black-headed Gulls and 142 Oystercatchers . A Honey Buzzard flew over Winston Churchill Park in St Brelade this morning, 12 Redshanks were at St Aubin and overhead Red Houses this afternoon was an anting party of 30+ Black-headed Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull , with a Sparrowhawk , 2 Buzzards and a Swallow also seen. Yesterday evening, a maize field in Trinity held 160 Swallows with a Raven flying over there.

13.08.2025 Little Stint and Green Sandpiper on the Scrape this morning. Image: MD An overcast day with a little light rain at times. On and around the Scrape this morning were a Little Stint , 2 Wood Sandpipers , 2 Green Sandpipers , a Dunlin , a Redshank , a Snipe , a ring-tailed Hen Harrier , a juvenile Marsh Harrier , 3 Shelduck 3 Teal , a juvenile Peregrine , the Yellow-crowned Bishop again, a Willow Warbler , 4 Reed Warblers , 100 Swallows , a House Martin , 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 40 Great Black-backed Gulls . Seen from the GaP Hide at the Sandpits were 200 Coot , 8 Tufted Ducks , a Pochard , a juvenile Shelduck , 3 Barnacle Geese , 4 Little Egrets , 5 Oystercatchers , good numbers of Black-headed Gulls and 7 Great Black-backed Gulls , A Honey Buzzard was in a garden on Mont les Vaux, while at Noirmont were a Wheatear , a Golden Plover and 2 Common Scoters . At St Aubin were 13 Turnstones and 12 Redshanks, and 2 Common Sandpipers . A second Honey Buzzard flew up out of Grands Vaux, heading off south, also 60 House Martins and 30 Swallows were feeding there. In Grouville Bay, as seen from Seymour, were 146 Black-headed Gulls and 6 Mediterranean Gulls , and at La Rocque were 12 Sandwich Terns and 42 Turnstones . At Pontac were 84 Oystercatchers , 2 Grey Herons , 32 Sandwich Terns, 6 Cormorants , 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Black-headed Gulls . 20+ Swallows and 15 Starlings were seen in St Martin. At the Gunsite in St Aubin's Bay were 4 Sandwich Terns , 3 Curlews , 22 Swallows , 2 Swifts and 8 House Martins . Evening update : At Noirmont this evening were a Pied Flycatcher , and a Redstart. In St Ouen's Bay this evening were 3 Yellow-legged Gulls , 85 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 78 Great Black-backed Gulls, 66 Mediterranean Gulls , a Whimbrel , 4 Ringed Plovers and 2 Sanderlings . Below : Thanks go to Jo Bramley for this video clip of the Little Stint at the Scrape yesterday.

12.08.2025 An immature Yellow-legged Gull in St Ouen's Bay, image courtesy of Romano RDC A cloudy to fair day in a west-southwest wind. Waders finally started to appear on the Scrape today, although disturbance by on-going management work there did make them unsettled. Seen through the day were 2 Wood Sandpipers, 5 Green Sandpipers , 2 Common Sandpipers , 2 Greenshanks , a Little Stint, and a Lapwing , with a Shelduck , a Shoveler , a Teal and a Kingfisher also seen. In the Sandpits were a Common Sandpiper , 19 Little Grebes , 26 Tufted Duck , 3 Barnacle Geese , 200 Coot , 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 3 Little Egrets . Seen at Seymour were 170 Black-headed Gulls , 2 Mediterranean Gulls , a Common Gull , 12 Sandwich Terns , 12 Little Egrets and a Great Crested Grebe and at St Aubin were 12 Redshanks. A Whinchat was a new arrival at Noirmont, with a Willow Warbler, 2 Swifts , 24 Swallows , a Raven , 2 Kestrels and an unidentified bat sp, which flew out of the gun cover at the bunker, presumably having been roosting there. Offshore were 4 Sandwich Terns and 4 Gannets but little else. Corbiere's contribution was curtailed by the arrival of low cloud and a west-southwest wind, but did include 43 Manx Shearwaters , 23 Balearic Shearwaters , 26 Gannets , 6 Cormorants , 6 Sandwich Terns , 146 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 26 Great Black-backed Gulls , 21 Mediterranean Gulls , 48 Black-headed Gulls , a flock of 4 Snipe , 2 Peregrines and 2 Ravens . 78 Mediterranean Gulls were in Petit Port Bay. Evening update : In St Ouen's Bay was a second Dutch ringed Caspian Gull of the week, also 4 Yellow-legged Gulls , 135 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 35 Mediterranean Gulls . On the North side of St Ouen's Pond were 8 Grey Herons , a probable Purple Heron , a Kingfisher , 3 Sedge Warblers , 5 Reed Warblers, a Whitethroat , 5 Sand Martins , 5 Swallows , 6 Marsh Harriers, a pale phase Buzzard , a Barn Owl and 2 overflying Green Sandpipers .

11.08.2025 A Caspian Gull wearing a Dutch colour-ring, in St Ouen's Bay yesterday. Image courtesy of Romano, RDC A fine and warm day at c28c in a moderate easterly wind. A Spoonbill flew south over St Ouen's Bay this morning and seen on the Scrape there, were 5 Green Sandpipers , 2 Grey Herons , a Lapwing , a Grey Heron , 3 Teal , a female Shoveler , a Kingfisher and 5 Willow Warblers . On St Ouen's Pond were 5 Grey Herons and feeding overhead were up to 30 Swifts , 20 House Martins and a flock of c 100 Swallows . A Wheatear was on the northside of St Ouen's Pond also 3 Clouded Yellow Butterflies . On St Ouen's beach were 6 Yellow-legged Gulls , 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 80 Mediterranean Gulls, 250 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Sandwich Terns . A busy morning at Corbiere saw 158 Balearic Shearwaters , 29 Manx Shearwaters ( with many more shearwaters distantly ), 5 Common Scoters , 37 Shags , 20 Cormorants , 2 auks ( probably Razorbills ), 50 Gannets , 4 Fulmars , 432 Black-headed Gulls , 36 Mediterranean Gulls , 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , 19 Great Black-backed Gulls , 2 Kittiwakes , a Whimbrel , 27 Curlews , 7 Sanderlings , 5 Ringed Plovers , a Turnstone , 2 Wheatears , 2 Peregrines , 6 Little Egrets and a large male Grey Seal seen. At Petit Port were 151 Black-headed Gulls , 25 Mediterranean Gulls , 2 Sandwich Terns and a Curlew . Another Wheatear was at Grosnez. 9 Cattle Egrets were at Grouville Marsh, 4 Cirl Buntings were on Grouville Common and 3 Ringed Plovers , 128 Oystercatchers and a Curlew were at Robin Bay, La Rocque. At Grands Vaux reservoir were a Kingfisher , a Grey Heron and a Lesser Black-backed Gull . Yesterday evening, in Petit Port Bay were 29 Curlews and 5 Little Egrets .