The Island of Jersey sits in the Golfe de St Malo, off the west coast of Normandy, France.
Despite
its 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, to date, 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 five miles to the
north-east and Les Minquiers ten miles to the South. Both of these
groups of rocks act as hosts to a variety of breeding, seabirds which
include Shags, Great Cormorants, Common Terns and Great Black-backed
Gulls.
100 species of birds have been recorded as breeding 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 with around 20 pairs breeding in
2003. Marsh Harriers have bred at St Ouen’s Pond and Peregrines have
re-colonised after an absence of 40 years.
Click to see full sized photo
Spring
and autumn can be very rewarding times to birdwatch in Jersey
especially if the wind is in the east (or, as often happens, blowing a
gale from the west!). 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
