The inaugural ‘Alderney Bird Race’ was quite a day with a combined species list SMASHING THE ALL TIME ALDERNEY BIRDS TOTAL RECORDED IN A SINGLE DAY by 9, with 89 different species recorded! This was achieved despite unfavourable strong NE winds and few grounded passerines/song birds. The highlights were many and included several locally uncommon migrants along with birds more rarely recorded in the British Isles; Purple Heron, Hen Harrier, Hobby, 2 Redshank, Greenshank, 16 Bar-Tailed Godwit, Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern, Short-Eared Owl, 3 Tree Pipit, 5 Yellow Wagtails, Common Redstart, Black Redstart, 3 Ring Ouzel, 5 Dartford Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, 2 Wood Warbler, 5 Firecrest and 2 Pied Flycatchers. There were only 7 species difference between the three teams that entered.
‘The ABO Ringers’ team (that included two Guernsey birders) came out on top recording 77 species.
Well done to all who took part. We look forward to welcoming back the visiting Guernsey team who are already talking about attending for next years event and the likelyhood of other Guernsey teams coming over to challenge for the title of winners of The Alderney Bird Race. We hope the AWT will also once again field a team. Image, ‘Is it a bird or is it a plane!’ Matthew Scragg, Chris Bale and Ian Le Page members of the 2021 winning team, overlooking the Les Etacs Gannet colony on bird race day.
‘The ABO Ringers’ team (that included two Guernsey birders) came out on top recording 77 species.
Well done to all who took part. We look forward to welcoming back the visiting Guernsey team who are already talking about attending for next years event and the likelyhood of other Guernsey teams coming over to challenge for the title of winners of The Alderney Bird Race. We hope the AWT will also once again field a team. Image, ‘Is it a bird or is it a plane!’ Matthew Scragg, Chris Bale and Ian Le Page members of the 2021 winning team, overlooking the Les Etacs Gannet colony on bird race day.