As we gear up for a new season the big news is that earlier this month on the 2nd February Alderney Bird Observatory, as an independent organisation, company and locally registered charity have been awarded national accreditation status by the British Bird observatories Council. A concise report of the birds recorded by the ABO during 2019 is pictured below, visit the BOC website to read the full 3 page article along with the 2019 reports and research work of all the other accredited British Isles Bird Observatories. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in achieving this goal embarked upon as a pilot scheme in 2016, and look forward to hosting all of the birders, ringers and naturalists coming to stay at our wonderful bird observatory accommodation & field centre this year.
5 new bird species were added to the list of the birds of Alderney during 2019, taking the island total to over 300. All of the 2019 additions were discovered by ABO staff and our visitors. The 2019 annual total was our best yet at 183 species and once again more than 10,000 birds were ringed. The ABO team also added a never before recorded mammal species for our island, the Barbastelle Bat. 2020 see’s the launch of the ABO’s first ‘moth Weekend’ with attendees and speakers set for a ‘moth fest’ in July as we empty traps set island wide. With over 1200 moth species recorded here this focussed effort should be eventful (contact John on abo.warden@outlook.com for further details). Alderneys increasing reputation as a cracking location for flora and fauna sees wildlife tour operator Naturetrek increase its wildlife dedicated holidays to the Channel Isles, all lead by ABO staff, to 7 separate trips this year, including the first dedicated wildlife holiday company tour to the islands of Herm and Sark.
Having just returned to Alderney ahead of storm Ciara, and with storm Dennis is just around the corner, I’m off out to start recording the birds of Alderney for another exciting year!
Regular updates of sightings will appear on this website, our facebook page and on twitter, updated by myself and our new assistant warden Elliot Monteith.
John Horton
Warden, ABO.
