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Chough report – First Quarter

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A new chough student
Bethea, our chough intern started in February, trained on all things choughs to enable them to service and monitor the Jersey chough population. This gives the rest of the team time to focus their efforts on other important tasks. Our intern has expressed interest in carrying out a research project on the chough population. We hope to gain valuable insights from the research carried out. Research may be on the horizon but there is still plenty of practical work to be done at the aviary. As it has been warming up, the grass has started to grow faster and therefore needs to be regularly cut to provide the choughs with somewhere to forage in the aviary. The team were recently trained in strimming equipment use and can now get to work.

Bethea hard at work strimming inside the aviary. Photograph by Charlotte Dean.

Where have you seen the choughs?
Where have Jersey residents spotted choughs in the past three months? In January, the largest flock sighted was 12, seen beside the pond at Simon and Sands Ltd, St Ouen. Most frequent chough sightings were in St Ouen, mostly groups of two to four. At Crabbe flock sizes were up to six. Plemont saw the usual pair. However, a flock of five has also been seen flying over Plemont.  A pair of choughs were also seen flying over aMaizin! Adventure Park and Les Monts Grantez.

Spring daffodils and hungry choughs. Photograph by Charlotte Dean.

February brought us more chough sightings across the island. The most consistent sightings were from Crabbe where flock sizes were seen between two and six, two of which were foraging and identified as Iris & Sercq. The largest flock of 24 was spotted at Grosnez Ravon. A lone chough was heard over Trinity. On one very rainy morning, business owner Jason, at Simon and Sands Ltd, witnessed 12 choughs taking refuge under the eaves of their shed. It’s good to see they know where shelter is when they need it! Another popular place to see choughs is just down the road from Simon and Sands Ltd, at St Ouen’s Pond, where flock sizes of four and up to nine have been seen.

Twelve choughs under the eaves at Simon and Sands. Photograph by Jason Simon.

During March, the most frequent flocks were seen in Corbiere, ranging from two to the largest flock of eight. Several sightings over Crabbe, Les Landes, Grantez and St Ouen. Choughs have been seen flying over St Johns Village as well as being spotted foraging in various green lane fields. A pair has been spotted hanging around St Helier.

Iris and Sercq foraging at Crabbe. Photograph by Charlotte Dean.

An exciting adventure
On 31 March, the team were notified of some very exciting news. Two choughs had been seen in Alderney! The last time choughs had been spotted in Alderney was in 1991, almost 35 years ago. The pair were first seen flying from Fort Albert but stopped briefly on the golf course before gaining an unwelcoming reception from the local corvid population. We are hoping that, if the choughs stay on Alderney for a short period of time, will be identified to them at an individual level. So, watch out for the next report to find out who went to Alderney.

Choughs carrying nesting material. Photograph by Charlotte Dean.

Breeding season is upon us
During February, we saw old flames reigniting and even a few new pairs forming. Many of the previous breeding pairs have begun to form closer bonds, spotted sitting close together, engaging in allopreening and flying as pairs. On the other hand, many males and females have been witnessed fighting, likely over potential mates. The team have been monitoring the choughs closely and, from observations, suspect there will be around 17 potential breeding pairs this year. It could be a busy breeding season! It wasn’t long before the choughs were witnessed collecting nesting material too, with the first sighting of this year on 1st March.

A chough collecting wool straight from the source. Photograph by Bethea Billington.

Table 1. The seventeen potential breeding pairs.

Number

Breeding Pairs

1

Lee & Elm

2

Bo & Flieur

3

Percy & Remi

4

Kevin & Wally

5

Trevor & Noirmont

6

Dingle & Pyrrho

7

Dusty & Archirondel

8

Aspen & Jaune

9

Sallow & Portelet

10

Alder & Wally Jnr

11

Minty & Rey

12

Pinel & Vicq

13

Oronsay & Manitou

14

Sercq & Iris

15

Sarnia & Pine

16

Kent & Rougenez

17

Feta & Manchego

 

Chough report – First Quarter (Jan-Mar)

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SNOW!
A surprising start to the year saw Jersey experience icy temperatures and a covering of snow across the island. Our chough student had the rare opportunity to see Sorel coated in snow with the island not having experienced notable snow fall for nearly ten years. To the team’s dismay, no photos were taken, but the picture below was taken back in 2015. Just as then, the birds had no problem dealing with the blanket of white covering much of the ground and readily foraged for grubs as the snow thawed.

Choughs foraging in the snow. Photograph by Harriet Clark.

PhD Sam
A PhD student (Sam) from Anglia Ruskin University has come over to Jersey to carry out research on our wild chough population. He will be monitoring the choughs by monitoring them around the Sorel area, conducting bird surveys and placing small passive acoustic devices to collect distinct vocalisations for the species. Sam’s main study aim is to quantify the effects of sound on the chough’s movements during the breeding season. The team have welcomed Sam to the team and believe his work will benefit the project greatly by finding new insights into the flock and providing an extra pair of eyes over the breeding season.

Sam, recording the choughs. Photography by Charlotte Dean.

Foraging for sheep
As we are coming into spring (the breeding season for choughs) it is clear that there has been a behavioural shift in the birds. No longer are they just seen foraging in the fields for delicious invertebrates. They are now foraging for sheep, specifically the Manx sheep who are sat in the fields minding their own business. The choughs are taking full advantage of any sheep lying down in the fields surrounding the aviary, pulling wool straight off their backs and sides. This is a great indication that the pairs are lining their nests ready for egg laying. Along with wool collecting, we have seen some of the males displaying to their partners as well as feeding their partners more regularly.

Choughs making use of the free wool. Photography by Charlotte Dean.

Renewing and replacing
As the aviary has been standing for over twelve years, it is understandable that it will have a few quirks from withstanding the wind and rain. Our biggest job currently is repairing and renewing the aviary framework and netting which will be carried out by Durrell’s maintenance team this spring-summer. Aside from this scheduled work, there is always work to do at the aviary, whether that be cutting the grass or replacing feed stands. This year, our original viewing bench collapsed. This bench is a focal point for monitoring the choughs in the aviary and is also used for catch-ups as it holds a hatch wire for the middle section of the aviary. Some of the original bench posts were salvaged as they were still in fair condition, but the majority was scrapped. The new bench seat pieces were sanded, stained and carried to the aviary to be reassembled. It might look a little wonky, but it will do the job!

Our old and new chough viewing bench! Photographs by Charlotte Dean.

New chough movements
From January through to March, we have received quite a few public sightings of chough activity, which is fantastic, keep them coming in! The majority of the sightings received were in March; not surprisingly, as choughs tend to start spreading out a bit more during the countdown to spring. We have received four sightings during March of a pair of choughs hanging around in St Saviour and St Helier parishes! The pair have been spotted above St Saviour Road, at the north edge border of St Helier, near Le Hocq and La Pouquelaye. It could be that a pair has found a new nesting spot a bit further afield than normal this year or it could be a younger pair of choughs finding new spots to forage in. Either way, this is very exciting news. The team will be spending time around these areas to see whether the pair can be identified.

A group of young choughs at Les Landes. Photograph by Mick Dryden.

Trinity Pair
At the beginning of March our contact from a stable in Trinity, contacted us about the arrival of a pair of choughs for the third year. This is breeding pair Vicq & Pinel. They shared a lovely video of the pair standing on the support beams inside their stables. The arrival of the pair gives the team a good indication that they are in search of, or at least thinking about nest building. Although this pair built a nest in the stables back in 2022, they only successfully fledged a chick last year from an unknown nest location. This year, the team are trying their best to locate the nesting spot for future monitoring and the potential of ringing chicks before they fledge.

A pair of choughs carrying nesting material. Photograph by Charlotte Dean.

More choughs on the move
We have received plenty of public sightings from St Ouen indicating what a great foraging site it is for the birds. They have been spotted foraging in pairs and groups along many stretches including Les Laveurs, Kempt Tower, Jersey Pearl, Les Landes, Mont Matthieu, Chemin Des Hativeaux and near Les Mielles nature reserve. We have also had reports of a pair of choughs flying around Plemont in recent months; we are hoping this means the Plemont pair, Minty & Rey, are settling to nest again this year.

Plemont pair spotted on the cliffs. Photograph by Charlotte Dean.