It was a quiet November this year, as the weather conspired against us to send birds south via a different route, thus missing us on their way through. Migration watching at Victoria Tower was very quiet, with just a couple of days of passage; the rest of the month was much quieter than in previous years. The best daily species counts were 9,516 Woodpigeons, 2,226 Redwings, 2,563 Starlings, and 1,069 Chaffinches— all much lower than average. A couple of rarities did pass over, though, including a Pallid Swift and a skein of eleven Barnacle Geese on the 17th.
A family group of five Whooper Swans arrived on the 19th and were still present at the time of writing, a rare occurrence on the island, with the last record dating back to 2014. Perhaps they might spend the whole winter here, as previous groups have done?
Other notable sightings included a Yellow-browed Warbler at Ouaisne on the 8th, two different Caspian Gulls at Petit Port on the 16th and 19th, and the first Red-throated Diver of the autumn passing La Coupe on the 22nd.
Who knows what December will bring this year? The autumn passage of Redwings and Fieldfares has yet to get underway, so perhaps they will arrive, just a little later than usual.
Author & photo credit: Romano da Costa / Whooper Swans (photo 1 & 2)
David Buxton / Yellow-browed Warbler (photo 3)
