1st – A single Buzzard chick and 3 young Sparrowhawks were ringed, the former being a new species to the Alderney bird ringing list (photos below). Early evening 4 Swifts head over Mannez lighthouse and out to sea. An immature Black Redstart took ownership on the observatory roman wall ramparts and was present until the 4th.
2nd – 60 Manx Shearwaters were on the sea just off Mannez Lighthouse.
3rd – A 1st year Mediterranean Gull and two 2nd year Common Gulls were in Crabby Bay.
4th – Justin and I continued our drive on ringing 2018 hatch birds with an Oysteratcher chick and 5 Herring Gull chicks (photos of Oystercatcher & 2 young Herring Gulls below). At low tide we made a brief visit to our Common Tern colony to check its progress; finding and ringing 7 chicks along with recording a number of nests with eggs. The concerted effort to achieve the first successfully fledged Common Tern in Alderney for many years by controlling rat numbers, appears at present to be on schedule. A single Great black backed Gull chick was also ringed.
5th- Paul and Catherine Veron had a Common Sandpiper in Crabby Bay and a Reed Bunting (the first summer record of this species since the ABO began recording in March 2016) on Longis common. I was surprised to come across 11 Sand Martins (a passage only bird here) on telephone wires behind Corblet’s quarry. David Childs photographed a fledged young Peregrine on the south cliffs.
6th – As return migration begins to pass through Alderney we begin more passerine ringing and today a short early session at Essex farm confirmed our suspicions of a productive breeding season for many of our common resident birds. There was also a single Dunlin in fine summer plumage in Longis Bay. Todays highlight was however not avian, and came in the shape of a very rare moth visitor from southern Europe. A Surge Hawk-moth (photo below).
7th – Overnight into the 8th Justin and I tried an ‘earlier in the year than so far researched here’ look at Storm Petrels moving along the North-east coast line. We caught and ringed 5 birds.