Mark Lawlor's Nature Blog

October, despite being “rarity month” does not seem especially better than any other month for rarities in Guernsey. I think that part of the reason is that there does not seem any notable increase in intensive bird-finding in October compared to many sites in the UK which can get saturated with birders at this time of year. Birding in Guernsey seems to be quite spread out over the whole year. You don’t tend to see lots more people out and looking any more in October than there is in November or April or even non-migration months. The only time when there does seem to be more people out is when there is “a lot about” already. I suppose that this is because most people, like myself, do not have much spare time.

However, despite no really rare birds this year, October can always be relied upon for some great visible migration. I was first up on Pleinmont on 3rd where there was plenty of Chiffchaffs but nothing very uncommon. A Common Sandpiper was at Pulias on 4th but the first sign of “winter” migrants for me was on 13th when a flock of at least 50 Redwing flew over me when I was getting into my car at first light.

On 17th, I wasn’t able to get out at first light but I stopped briefly for a chat at Pleinmont during a morning drive and had a Brambling and about 40 Siskin go over in just a few minutes. When I got home, I stood out in the garden and saw that there were plenty of things going over and quickly had a calling Brambling which was a new species for the garden list. I also had about 20 Siskin in a couple of flocks, 4 Skylarks and a few Swallows racing south. It was nice and sunny in the afternoon and I had a free hour so I popped out to Grand Pre where the highlight was excellent views of c.25 Siskins in the Alders. They seemed everywhere over the next week - an unusually large influx. Siskins can often feed deep in cover and flick around like warblers in the low vegetation which is always a surprise since they are usually in the tree tops.

The next weekend saw me back up at Pleinmont on 23rd October, again avoiding anything rare, even Yellow-browed Warblers are non-existent this year. Visible migration was pretty good though with at least 3 Bramblings in amongst a few hundred Chaffinches and small groups of Siskins flying in from the north in small groups totalling three-figures. I saw about 15 Skylarks, a Wheatear and at least 5 Firecrests but the best bird was finally seeing the ringtail Hen Harrier which has been knocking around the headland for a while. Looking at my records, this is the first Hen Harrier I have seen in Guernsey for 9 years which is incredible.

On the way home I called in at Rue des Hougues, St. Andrews as I thought something might have dropped in. There was a nice and vocal Golden Plover there as well as another flock of Siskin, but what I didn’t expect was to turn a corner and come face to face with a Great White Egret right in front of me! We both startled each other and the bird flew to the back of the field. Here it was happy to stalk the field edge, no doubt looking for voles and mice feeding in amongst the vegetated hedge banks. There had been one around the island for the previous few days but it was nice to bump into it myself.

Great White Egret - Rue des Hougues, SA, 23 Oct 21

GOLDEN PLOVER - Rue des Hougues, SA, 23 Oct 21

Half-term began on the 24th and the first Black Redstart was seen right on cue at Pulias. I had another sojourn up Pleinmont on 25th but it was again quiet, with the Hen Harrier seen again, another Brambling and more Siskins. A quiet end to the month in Guernsey.

The Red-backed Shrike was showing well again the day after I had found it, on 15th September, still in the same area of scrub by the car park at Portinfer. It had apparently also ventured out over the fields to the west. It was much more mobile than the previous day, but today it was being photographed by multiple persons so was maybe a bit more jittery.

Red-backed Shrike - Portinfer, 15 Sep 21

The only proper birding I was able to do in the second half of September was on 18th when I had a few hours round Pleinmont. It was pretty quiet for migrants considering the time of year. A group of 16 Golden Plovers were in the BBC field, showing rather well, and a couple of Whinchats and Yellow Wagtails were the only other birds of note. Called at a coupe of spots on the way back and saw that there was a few Bar-tailed Godwits in various bays totalling 16 birds and the two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on the tideline at Richmond.

Walking round Fort Hommet headland, checking the pine plantation, my eye was drawn to a falcon landing on the rocks by the seashore. It was getting some stick from crows and looked quite interesting. It was a Peregrine but it looked a little odd, being very pale below and a bit brown on the back.

I was able to get close enough for a few photos before crows and nearby dog-walkers flushed it from the rocks. It flew briefly to a further rock and then low across Albecq Bay and round towards Cobo. I was able to study the photos properly when I got home.

Due to the neat fringes, uniform feathers and streaks below, the bird appears to be a juvenile. However, it does not look like any of the local juveniles that are present or are usually present on the island. They are usually quite buffish-orange below with a clear, dark, thick moustachial stripe. This bird was off-white to pale buffish below and with a thin, whispy, almost broken moustachial stripe. Overall its head was much paler than I usually see, with large white cheeks, a broken pale supercilium and paler mottling on forehead, crown, rear ear coverts and nape. Also the streaks below were quite fine and thin, with large pale gaps between, and even the blotchy streaks on the rear flanks were relatively sparse, with just a few flecks on the trousers and no streaks at all on the vent. Local Peregrines are usually much streakier.

The flight pictures below show that the upperpart feathers all have a crisp whitish fringe, rather than the brownish fringes of a typical juvenile, especially so on the uppertail coverts, creating a paler patch there. The bottom photo in flight, slightly blurred and against the rocks, shows a really unusual-looking bird, very brown and pale.

With the features noted here, I am sure that the bird is not local and I would have thought not really local to this part of Europe. The paleness could indicate a bird of the race ‘calidus’ which breeds in the high arctic, but it doesn’t seem to match very closely as they tend to be even browner, bigger and more streaky. I would like to think that it is a Peregrine from somewhere in the far north and could very well be, but I can’t find any photo which matches the combination of features closely. Whatever it is, it was a fine beast and an interesting bird to study.

After 18th September, I have literally no records of birds seen until early October. For a majorly keen birder, I sometimes have very few opportunities to get out in the field, which can be a little frustrating at times. But at least this means I really appreciate it when I do.

Just A Bird

Just A Bird

Mark Lawlor's Nature Blog

Just A Bird

October 2021 pt i

September 2021 pt ii

Just A Bird