Review of 2024

2024 was not a vintage year for birding - very few gettable rarities turned up on the island and any that did were unsatisfactory or occurred when I was away. Changes in circumstances at home meant that long hours in the field were now more unlikely, and this may explain the drop-off in decent birds found myself. Also, both migration seasons seemed particularly quiet this year, with bad weather at awkward times meant that my patch species list was the lowest ever. I don’t want to appear too gloomy though as, the older I get, the more I appreciate the birds I do see. Despite the low total, I managed four new species for the patch, which was an excellent count under the circumstances. Hopefully, 2024 was just averaging out an excellent birding year in 2023, and 2025 will pick up with some great sightings. My overall birding highlight was finally seeing Golden Oriole on Guernsey after all these years, the final “non-rarity” that I had not seen, and the excitement of the chase that was involved made it extra special.

The best of my other wildlife sightings was probably the Death’s-head Hawk-moth at the end of August on the cliffs but there were lots of interesting other species found. I particularly liked the Small Velvet Ants from the coastal dunes and the Australian Fern Weevil. A trip to Yorkshire brought quite a few new species and I especially enjoyed the beautiful summer’s day in the Yorkshire Wolds. Moth-trapping was OK this year but there were few ‘big nights’, I particularly was satisfied by the Garden Tiger and Golden Twin-spot on the same evening.

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STATS

0 new birds for the World List - on 803.

2 new birds for Britain (inc. C.Is.) - Golden Oriole, Lesser Yellowlegs - on 409.

2 new birds for Guernsey - Golden Oriole, Lesser Yellowlegs - on 279.

0 new 'self-found' birds - on 277.

0 new garden birds (in or from) - still on 98. (although Firecrest was new inside the garden)

2024 Guernsey year list total - second lowest ever, 133.

Official local rarities found - 1 - Cirl Bunting.

Official local rarities seen - 4 - the above, plus Pink-footed Goose, Scaup, Lesser Yellowlegs. 

4 new Hommet to Rousse 'patch' birds - Pink-footed Goose, Gadwall, Cetti’s Warbler, Cirl Bunting - now on 177.

2023 Hommet to Rousse ‘patch’ year list total - lowest ever, 88.

End-of-year British Pan-species list - 3120, (new species during year 74).

End-of-year Guernsey Pan-species list - 2555, (new species during year 54).

Garden moth list - 693

New Lepidoptera in garden - 5 - Teleiopsis diffinis, Mompha propinquella, Musotima nitidalis, Chestnut, Golden Twin-spot.

New Lepidoptera in Guernsey - 7 - The above five, plus Death’s-head Hawk-moth, Pale Shoulder.

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PHOTOS

Less photography was done in 2024 than average - but here are my 15 favourites from last year.

Argyresthia brockeella - May - A chance encounter with a tiny moth resting under a leaf, the camera flash bouncing off the shiny scales

Reykjavik Cathedral - October - probably my favourite building

Dexiosoma caninum - AUGUst - a group of these Tachinid flies were involved in some kind of mating dance in a sunny spot

Harebell - July - I love the textures here

Traditional Guernsey “Hedge Veg” stall - July - this is just along our road and, in the summertime the blue is always sitting in a sea of green

Blair’s Mocha - April - One of my favourite species, and this one is as fresh as they come

St. Peter Port Breakwater Lighthouse - January - On a sunny winters day

Mayfly - July - I don’t see that many mayflies, I don’t think they are very common on Guernsey - this one was in Yorkshire

River Hull - July - The chalk streams round Driffield are superb and this stretch of the river Hull is so quiet and peaceful - you can just make out a few Brown Trout in the shallows on the left

Misumena vatia - May - these crab spiders that hang around in the flowers are nice and easy to photograph

seljalandsfoss, Iceland - October - what a place!

German Tunnels - August - doesn’t look like the most healthy place for a hospital

Stonechat - September - A species that I hardly ever saw growing up, yet is so common here, and always open for photographs

Tomoato Greenhouse, Iceland - October - such a cosy haven in such a chilly place

Wall Screw Moss - March - the sunlight shining through the capsules like tiny light bulbs

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MOVIES

November/December 2024

I finally managed to find a little of migration happening when I went up to Pleinmont at first light on 3rd November. There were plenty of common species milling about up there with Redwings and Skylarks circling the headland in the dull light. A single Brambling called above the car when I was setting out, but I couldn’t see where it was. One of the first birds I saw was a Short-eared Owl flapping slowly over the Blackthorn and away over the Societe fields. There was not a great deal on the deck but a single Golden Plover warily wandered around the large bare field, until the dogs appeared. Surprisingly a few groups of Lapwings were noted passing overhead - first a group of 5, then 24 and then a large group of 60. A total of about 110 was counted during the morning. Unfortunately, the wooded valleys were quiet for warblers with just a few Chiffchaffs present, but a Teal in Pezeries Bay was a new species for me for Pleinmont. To finish off a nice selection of species, I saw the ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over the fields as I drove away from the headland.

Pulias had a late Wheatear looking sorry-for-itself on 6th November and the first Black Redstart of the winter was there two days later. There had been a small influx of wildfowl during the week including a Scaup which had appeared on the pond on the golf course at Grande Mare. So, with a couple of free hours on Saturday 9th I went down to take a look. It was still present on the same pond that the Lesser Yellowlegs was on earlier in the autumn. This pond is brand new and has attracted lots of good birds, although I suspect that this will not continue in this vein when the golfers start hitting balls across, and into it. This was the first Scaup in the island for well over a decade and only the second I have seen here, the first being on a different pond on the same golf course.

Scaup - Grand Mare GC, 9 Nov 24

The new pond on the new golf course - It has had lots of good birds so far, mainly because the course is not open to golfers yet!

Also, the small pond next door had a Mute Swan swimming around on it, still pretty uncommon but now off the rarity list after an increase in sightings. And as I drove past the other new pond, along Rue des Bergers, I discovered that the Pochard “flock” had increased to four birds, 2 male and 2 female, a pretty decent count for the island.

Mute Swan - Grand Mare GC, 9 Nov 24

Mute Swan - Grand Mare GC, 9 Nov 24

2 male and 2 female Pochards - Rue des Bergers/Grande Mare, 9 Nov 24

With tide conditions at a nice level, I went to Richmond, Vazon after work on 15th November and found a Water Pipit back for the winter. It is difficult to tell on these dull photos, but in the field, I find that the snowy-white tone to the rear flanks is always the best way to pick out a Water Pipit from the brighter Rocks. With the wildfowl visitors on the island, I thought Rue Mainguy pond was worthwhile checking the next day and there was a male Tufted Duck amongst the throng of Mallards - my first of the year! The rest of the month was quiet.

Water Pipit - Vazon, 15 Nov 24

Water Pipit - Vazon, 15 Nov 24

Tufted Duck - Rue Mainguy, 16 Nov 24

December was a very dark and dull month, but I managed a few interesting sightings in the few times I was out and about. Two male Common Scoter were resting in Vazon Bay on 11th and I finally saw my first Kingfisher of the year, resting on the shoreline rocks at Rousse on 16th. I am convinced wintering Kingfisher numbers are going down on the island, I don’t see them half as much as I used to. The Great Crested Grebe at the Reservoir had been joined by another bird when I went on 23rd. Perhaps they may be pairing up? There are plenty of places that they could nest there. The final sighting of note for the year was on 27th with a female-type Red-breasted Merganser off Bordeaux.

An old Beech tree in Foulon Cemetery

There’s not much insect activity at this time of year but there was a weekend of exceptionally mild weather on 29th and 30th November, with winds blowing right up from the Sahara. Unfortunately, I didn’t pick up any properly rare migrants but there was a couple of Palpita vitrealis and a Pearly Underwing, which may have arrived from further south. There were quite a few Feathered Thorn, a species I rarely record, as my trap is usually in hibernation by this time of year. And also a Chestnut, only my second ever after the first I had earlier in 2024.

3 Feathered Thorns, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 White-speck and 2 Palpita vitrealis.

Polypody hanging basket

St. Peter Port town centre on Boxing Day evening