Friday 14th April 2017
/The last few days of March and the first two weeks of April were disappointing with regards to migrants and I barely saw anything whilst out and about around the headlands. When you've been counting down the days until April and it arrives as a damp squib, you feel like asking for your money back. I can't ever remember the start of April being so quiet.
Pied Wagtail - Fort Hommet/Vazon, 29 Mar 17
White Wagtail - Pulias, 7 Apr 17
I took one full morning out in the field - the 10th April - and drove past 3 Little Ringed Plovers that I knew were present on the Old Aerodrome. I spent the rest of the morning walking around Pleinmont, which was very pleasant and enjoyable but it lacked any moments of excitement. There must have been about 20 Wheatears dotted round the fields and similar numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in the bushes, but apart from a singing Firecrest at the Vau de Monel car park, that was my lot.
Wheatear - Mont Herault, 10 Apr 17
Wheatear - Mont Herault, 10 Apr 17
One new species I found whilst on a clamber with the kids was a new fish. I have only got about ten fishes identified on my life list so when I saw this one sat in the rock pool, not splashing away like they usually do, I knew it was something different. Looking it up when I got home it was clearly a Giant Goby, a species quite restricted in range in the UK but quite common here apparently. I would really bump up my pan-species listing with some intensive rock-pooling in the quality ones we have here on the island, but the main difficulty is getting things ID'd. I have no books that I can use - and you don't really wanting to be lugging soggy stuff back home!
Giant Goby - Fort Doyle, 13 Apr 17
After a few years gap, I started a square of the BTO Breeding Bird Survey, which is an 'urban' square, mainly walking around the streets of St. Peter Port. Not wanting to gaze into gardens with the bins, this survey is going to be mainly done with the ears. The most common species was House Sparrow with more than 50 birds counted, mostly in breeding pairs in the house roofs.
The only other birding I did was searching for a possible Arctic Redpoll seen briefly at the Rouvets fishing pond. It couldn't be found however despite a couple of hours there.
The first week of the Easter holidays was spent mainly with the kids whilst Rosie was having to work since I was to be heading to Corsica in the second week with the BUBO lads. This gave me plenty of time to practise photography in the garden and I got some really nice pics.
Collared Dove - garden, 13 Apr 17
Lasioglossum calceatum - garden, 9 Apr 17
Esperella sulphurella - garden, 9 Apr 17
Hawthorn Shieldbug - 28 Mar 17
Hawthorn Shieldbug - garden, 28 Mar 17