On Sunday, 10th March 2024, AWT conducted our monthly Wetland Bird Survey, also known as WeBS. During this survey, we counted various waterbird species, including wildfowl, waders, rails, divers, grebes, cormorants, and herons, across Alderney’s bays and beaches. This survey, initiated by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in 1947, involves counting wetland sites monthly, with the core counting season running from September to March and prioritizing Sundays as the core count dates. AWT has been contributing data since 2007, alongside over 3000 volunteers across the UK.
The survey results were subsequently submitted to the WeBS Online data entry system, adding to a vast dataset used to identify waterbird indices and trends in the UK. These findings are then summarized in the annual report titled "Waterbirds in the UK," detailing the total number of birds recorded at each site and the peak numbers of each species annually.
In the previous WeBS survey, AWT split into two groups, covering multiple sites on the island, including Corblets, Bibette Head, Saye Beach, Braye Bay, Platte Saline, Clonque Bay, Crabby Bay, and Longis Pond—essentially any beach or bay on Alderney frequented by waterbirds. This year, two additional count areas are being added: one to the west of Bibette Head and the other on the Northeast coast, with counts at coastal locations conducted at high tide.
Some highlights of the survey included:
191 oystercatchers
166 herring gulls
13 mallards
10 great black-backed gulls
9 rock pipits
8 shags
7 ringed plovers
This month's list also included coots (3), curlews (3), little egrets (4), moorhens (3), meadow pipits (3), pied/white wagtails (4).
