August and September have produced record numbers of migrating Gulls passing through our Island, with some huge numbers being seen feeding offshore and also resting in St Ouen’s Bay.
Several species have made up these numbers but by far the largest amount has been Lesser Black-backed Gull followed by Great Black-backed, Mediterranean, Black-headed and Herring Gulls with smaller numbers of Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls, the latter of which produced record numbers this year.
The largest counts have been at least 5,000 individuals feeding a mile or so off of Le Pulec and on a few days in late August up to 1,500 were seen resting in St Ouens Bay. Quite the sight for those who were on the beaches those days.
Amongst all those Gulls were two first records for Jersey and the Channel Islands, an adult Baltic Gull and a juvenile Cantabrican Yellow-legged Gull.
On the migrant front, good numbers of Redstarts, Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats and Wheatears have been passing through but lower than usual numbers of Swallows and Yellow Wagtails.
A few rarities were seen during September, a Hoopoe spent a few days feeding in gardens near Pontac, a couple of Black Terns were seen feeding offshore and two Wryneck were trapped and ringed at St Ouen’s Pond.
Wryneck – photo credit David Buxton
Baltic gull – Photo Credit – Romano da Costa
Author – Romano da Costa – ornithology@societe.je
