The Arrival of the Puffins is a unique festival that highlights the plight of these wonderful birds and the key role Jersey has to play in in order to protect and save the puffins and other seabirds.
Join us to celebrate the arrival of the puffins of Jersey back to their breeding cliffs, as well as the arrival of the willow puffins to the National Trust grounds at Plémont.
There are a series of activities as well us the unveiling of the magnificent puffin – willow sculptures that have been created to highlight these challenges. This event is open to everyone so please come along and join us!
You can drop by anytime between 11am and 1pm and you will find opportunities to watch puffins and other seabirds (if they are about!), walks of the Seabird Trail, and live music to celebrate the puffins and other sea folk.
Programme: – Between 11am and 1pm: Puffin Watch at the Stone Circle – with Alli and Neil from Birding Tours Jersey. Just drop by, scopes and binoculars will be provided. – At 11h and at 12h: Live music next to the willow puffins, with Aureole Choir and local folk band Sonneux. Be ready to sing along, lyrics will be provided! – At 11.30h and 12.30h: Seabird Trail taster walks with local birding expert and photographer Romano da Costa. Bring your binoculars and cameras if you have them.
See you at Plémont on Sunday, and hopefully the real puffins will be there too!
Sculptures built in partnership with Geomarine. Event kindly supported by JDC (Jersey Development Company).
Task Come along for a morning of invasive species removal with the National Trust for Jersey!
As part of the Trust’s ongoing invasive species management efforts, we will be removing purple dewplant from various locations along St Ouen’s Bay, to limit the spread of this invasive species.
If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Wild About Jersey email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).
Booking: You will need to book a place to take part in this task here
The site Meet at The Wetland Centre, La Grande Route des Mielles, St. Peter.
Jersey Phone Directory Map 6, F12 Google maps here
Time: We aim to start at 10.30. We will be finished work around 12.30 and plan to be off site by 1.00.
Parking There is parking across the road from the Wetland Centre.
Tools needed Some tools will be supplied but please bring gloves and a small garden fork if you have one.
Clothing needed Please dress for the weather. We can supply a pair of gardening gloves if you don’t have them.
Children All are welcome, although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age are accompanied by an adult. Due to the uneven ground, a reasonable level of fitness is required.
Refreshments *Please make sure you bring your own mug or reusable cup* The legendary Kim the Kake will be on hand to provide refreshments when the work is done.
Task Perhaps best known for its exotic plantings, the gardens on the Promenade at Gorey have one patch of grass desperate for a pollinator friendly make over.
If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Wild About Jersey email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).
Booking You will need to book a place to take part in this task here
The site Meet at Longbeach car park, La Rue a Don, Grouville.
Jersey Phone Directory Map 11 LL16 Google maps here
Time Meet at 10.20 as the site is a five minute walk away and we aim to start at 10.30. We will be finished work by 12.30 to give us the chance for a cuppa.
Parking There is parking at the Longbeach car park, La Rue a Don, Grouville.
Tools needed Some tools will be provided but if you have a spades, forks, rakes and secateurs please bring them as they will be useful.
Clothing needed Please dress for the weather. We can supply a pair of gardening gloves if you don’t have them.
Children All are welcome, although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age are accompanied by an adult. Due to the uneven ground, a reasonable level of fitness is required.
Refreshments *Please make sure you bring your own mug or reusable cup* Kim the Kake will be on hand to reward everyone with a cuppa and cake when the work is done.
Task Join the National Trust for Jersey’s Lands team on Sunday 13th February to help maintain some of the many trees planted over the last two years, with the opportunity to plant some more. The activity involves tree planting and maintenance at Mourier Valley. This scenic area overlooks the valley with views of the northern coastline. https://jerseytreesforlife.org/
If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Wild About Jersey email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).
Please follow the latest guidance on www.gov.je and to help keep us all safe we ask that you perform a Lateral Flow Test before joining the task.
The site Meet in the car park on La Rue de Sorel. Jersey Phone Directory Map 3 R2 Google maps here
Time 10:00. It will be a short walk to the planting site. We will finish work at approximately 12:30 to give us the chance for a cuppa.
Parking There is parking close at Sorel Point.
Tools needed We will provide some tools and gloves but if you have any of your own then feel free to bring them along.
Clothing needed Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear. We can supply a pair of gardening gloves if you don’t have them.
Children All are welcome, although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age are accompanied by an adult. Due to the uneven ground, a reasonable level of fitness is required.
Refreshments (Please make sure you bring your own mug or reusable cup) A welcoming mug of tea and cake will be available to all who join us for the morning, which are kindly provided by Kim.
Jersey Great Garden Bird Watch – 5th & 6th February 2022
Jersey’s very own garden birdwatch, the Action for Wildlife and Birds On The Edge Great Garden Bird Watch in association with the Jersey Evening Post will be 21 this year! Which bird species will be the most recorded across the Island’s gardens this year? Will it still be the house sparrow, they have had their ups and downs over the years?
House sparrows in Jersey gardens 2002-2021
The full list of last year’s most frequently recoded birds and squirrels is (with mean number of birds per recording household):
1. House sparrow 6.6 2. Goldfinch 2.4 3. Great tit 2.1 4. Starling 2.0 5. Blue tit 1.8 6. Wood pigeon 1.6 7. Chaffinch 1.4 8. Magpie 1.42 9. Robin 1.36 10. Blackbird 1.2 11. Collared dove 1.0 12. Greenfinch 0.5 13. Pheasant 0.2 14. Blackcap 0.15 15. Song thrush 0.18 16. Great spotted woodpecker 0.19 Red squirrel 0.6 (equivalent of 12th)
Method for recording
The method of the count is very straight forward. Basically you just need to choose one of the two weekend dates (5th or 6th February), look out into the garden for a few minutes, or as long as you like (I just look out the kitchen window) and write down what birds you see and the maximum number of each species. And, of course, red squirrels count again as birds this year. Just for one weekend!
Once you’ve counted the birds (and squirrels) on your chosen day please fill out the form online here, in the JEP or, alternatively, you can download a form here and email to birdsote@gmail.com.
Your observations are of great importance in our understanding of the situation with the birds that we live closest to. Don’t forget, how these birds are fairing in the 21st century says a lot about our own lives and our own environment. You can read previous results of our survey in the Jersey Garden Birdwatch Report 2002-2020here
Keep a look out for coal tits this winter. You never know! Photo by Mick Dryden
Happy New Year! We hope you had a restful break and are ready to join us to work off any over indulgences….
Task We are again joining Jersey Trees for Life to help them plant a mixture of native trees to extend the new woodland on the north coast.
If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Wild About Jersey email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).
The site Meet in the car park at the Devil’s Hole Priory Inn 10:15 for a 10:30 start. It will be a short walk to the planting site. We will finish at approximately 12:30 to give us the chance for a cuppa.
Jersey phone directory Map 2, N4 and Google Maps here
Parking There is parking close to the Priory Inn.
Tools needed Some equipment can be provided but please bring a spade and a pair of gardening gloves if you have them.
COVID 19 Please follow the latest guidance on www.gov.je and to help keep us all safe we ask that you perform a Lateral Flow Test before joining the task.
Clothing needed Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear. We can supply a pair of gardening gloves if you don’t have them.
Children All are welcome although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age are accompanied by an adult.
Refreshments We are delighted to welcome back Kim who will provide us with her splendid refreshments when work is finished. *Please make sure you bring your own mug or reusable cup*
We very much look forward to seeing you on the day.
Task Join the National Trust for Jersey’s Lands team to help maintain some of the many trees planted over the last two years and see how the new woodland is progressing. There will also hopefully be an opportunity to plant some new trees as the final planting phase of the three year project is reached.
We would ask all participants to please book a space on Eventbrite by following this link
If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Wild About Jersey email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).
The site Meet at Sorel Point car park at 10:15 for a 10:30 start. We will finish at approximately 12:30.
Jersey phone directory Map 3, R2 and Google Maps here
Parking There is parking close at Sorel Point.
Tools needed Equipment will be provided but if you have a pair of gardening gloves, or any garden forks, rakes, sickles or spades, it could be helpful if you could bring them along with you.
Clothing needed Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear. We can supply a pair of gardening gloves if you don’t have them.
Children All are welcome although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age are accompanied by an adult.
Refreshments Unfortunately, Kim will not be able to join us on Sunday, but the Trust Rangers will be happy to offer a mince pie and a cuppa for the workers. Unless one of them does some baking! *Please make sure you bring your own mug or reusable cup*
We very much look forward to seeing you on the day.
“Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!” is the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day, an annual global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them will be held on 9th October. The Global Bird Weekend will be held over the weekend (8-10 October) to coincide with World Migratory Bird Day.
This year’s World Migratory Bird Day will focus on the phenomena of “bird song” and “bird flight” as a way to inspire and connect people of all ages around the world in their shared desire to celebrate migratory birds and to unite in a common, global effort to protect birds and the habitats they need to survive.
The 2021 World Migratory Bird Day theme is an invitation to people everywhere to connect and re-connect with nature by actively listening to – and watching birds – wherever they are. At the same time the theme appeals to people around the world to use their own voices and creativity to express their shared appreciation of birds and nature.
Birds can be found everywhere: in cities and in the countryside; in parks and backyards, in forests and mountains, and in wetlands and along the shores. They connect all these habitats and they connect us, reminding us of our own connection to the planet, the environment, wildlife and each other. Through their seasonal movements, migratory birds are also regularly reminding us of nature’s cycles.
As global ambassadors of nature, migratory birds not only connect different places across the planet, they also re-connect people to nature and to themselves like no other animals on the planet.
In fact, billions of migratory birds have continued to sing, fly and soar between their breeding and non-breeding sites. During the pandemic, which slowed down many activities by limiting our movements, people across the world have been listening to and watching birds like never before. For many people around the world, bird song has also been a source of comfort and joy during the pandemic, connecting people to each other and to nature as they remain in place.
Scientists around the world have also been studying the impact the pandemic is having on birds and other wildlife, looking at how “the anthropause” – the so-called global shutdown in human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic – has affected birds and other wildlife around the world. At the same time, scientists have also been looking at the positive health benefits of birds and nature on humans.
Clearly, the pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for humankind. At the same time, it has also brought a whole new level of awareness and appreciation of birds and the importance of nature for our own well-being.
World Migratory Bird Day 2021 is therefore not only a celebration of birds, it is also an important moment to reflect on our own global relationship with nature and to highlight our collective desire to do more to protect birds and nature in a post-pandemic world.
Celebrated across the world on two peak days each year – on the second Saturday in May and second Saturday in October – World Migratory Bird Day is the only international awareness-raising and education program that celebrates the migration of bird species along all the major flyways of the world.
Take part and make your sightings count – register for Global Bird Weekend here or set up a team on eBird
Environmental experts and conservationists from the Channel Islands will be meeting virtually to share ideas and collaborate on projects at a two-day meeting from Thursday 21 October. All Islanders are invited to listen to the speakers and contribute to the meeting.
This year’s Inter-Island Environment Meeting is being chaired by the Jersey Biodiversity Centre (JBC) and Government of Jersey’s Natural Environment team.
The theme of the meeting will be about how the Islands are connected by biodiversity and will discuss biological recording, conservation research, citizen science, and the importance of sharing technology, knowledge and expertise, using the Pollinator Project as a case study.
There will be two interactive workshops and various speakers from the Channel Islands, UK and France. Participants will be invited to share their experience from the workshops which will involve visiting local wild spaces and using the hashtags #IIEM2021#IslandsConnected on social media.
A preliminary timetable is available to view here.
Chair of the JBC, Anne Haden, said: “By working together as a group of Islands we are able to achieve more and create an aspirational way forward to tackle the biodiversity crisis. Together, we can create a stronger biodiversity network and pool our limited resources to ultimately protect our Islands’ natural environments.
“This meeting is an excellent opportunity for environmentalists and conservationists to discuss and identify the solutions needed to maintain healthy and sustainable ecosystems, for us and future generations.”
Photo: Anne_Nygard/Unsplash
Minister for Environment, Deputy John Young, said: “I am looking forward to collaborating with colleagues and Islanders in our annual Inter-Island Environment Meeting. We will be using the two days to listen to presentations, take part in workshops, and discuss how we can improve the way we communicate with each other for environmental projects and work together as a network of Islands to protect our natural environment.
“By making this a virtual event, I hope that more Islanders are encouraged to join in from work, home or during their lunch break.”
Those who wish to attend online must register in advance by clicking here.
Jersey islanders who do not have access to a computer can attend in person. Talks will be live-streamed on a big screen at the Société Jersiaise. Light refreshments will be provided. Those wishing to choose this option must register by calling 01534 633393.
