CHANNEL ISLANDS

JERSEY: A Cory’s Shearwater was off the south-west coast (6th). The Grouville area logged nine Sandwich Terns, 750 Brent Geese, nine Wigeon, 50 Tufted Ducks, 40 Pochards, 49 Shovelers, 11 Little Grebes, 30 Mediterranean Gulls, a possible Bonaparte’s Gull, 50 Cormorants, 120 Great Black-backed Gulls, 1,000 Black-headed Gulls, Cirl Buntings, Yellow-browed Warblers, Jack Snipe, Woodcock, Water Pipits, Bittern, Bearded Tits, 30 Reed Buntings, 20 Teal, thousands of finches and Meadow Pipits, 500 Stock Doves, 10 Marsh Harriers and 10 Buzzards. There were 27 pale-bellied Brent Geese near St Aubin’s harbour. Pontac had 1,000 roosting Herring Gulls. Thousands of thrushes moved through Gorey with a few Waxwings at the end of the month. Thousands of Starlings, Chaffinches and Swallows moved through Noirmont and La Rocque, with hundreds of Skylarks and Wood Larks and the odd Short-toed Lark. Lapland Buntings and Richard’s Pipits were at Noirmont and St Ouen’s Bay. Wheatears moved through in hundreds, mostly Greenland-race birds. A possible Isabelline Wheatear was at Le Braye. A Red Kite was at La Coupe and a Hen Harrier at Noirmont. The odd Hobby moved over Noirmont early in the month. Peregrines were on St Thomas Church. A few Merlins, Short-eared Owls and Long-eared Owls were noted. Twenty Choughs moved between Les Landes and Sorel. Some 500 Pied and White Wagtails roosted at St Helier harbour. Divers, scoters, auks, skuas and grebes passed St Catherine’s breakwater. Black Redstarts turned up at the end of the month around the coast. Bertram Bree