The Island of Jersey sits in the Golfe de St Malo, off the west coast of Normandy, France. Despite Jersey's small size of 45 square miles, it has an amazing diversity of habitats from coastal cliffs, heathlands and dunes, to marshes and wooded inland valleys. Its strategic position, mild winter climate and extremely wide tidal range, act as a magnet to both migrating and wintering birds and over 300 species have been recorded within the Bailiwick.

In addition to the Island itself, there are two main groups of offshore islets – Les Ecrehous 5 miles to the north-east and Les Minquiers 10 miles to the South. Both of these groups of rocks act as hosts to a variety of breeding seabirds including Shags, Great Cormorants, Common Terns and Great Black-backed Gulls.

100 species of breeding birds have been recorded in Jersey and these include some species which are scarce, or absent, as breeding birds on the mainland of the United Kingdom – Short-toed Treecreeper, Serin, Dartford Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Bearded Tit and Cirl Bunting have all bred in recent years. Most recently, Little Egrets have colonised the main island. Marsh Harriers have bred at St Ouen's Pond and Peregrines have re-colonised after an absence of over 40 years.

Spring and autumn are good times to birdwatch in Jersey especially if the wind is in the east, as overshooting continental birds occur with species such as Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Zitting Cisticola and shrike species all seen regularly.

Seabirds, of course, feature strongly in the annual records. Apart from the breeding Northern Fulmars Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills etc. There are good autumn passages, mainly October to December, of three species of divers, seaducks, Brent Geese, auks and Little Gulls, amongst many others.

Birdwatching sites covered are:

• St Ouen's Pond
• Noirmont Point
• St Aubin's Bay
• La Rocque
• Grouville Bay
• La Blinerie
• Grouville Marsh
• St Catherine's & La Coupe
• North Coast
• Les Ecrehous
• Les Minquiers
• Grosnez Point