A PAIR of reed buntings have successfully bred in Jersey for the first time since the late 1990s.
The bird is usually seen in large numbers in the reed beds of St Ouen’s Pond and Grouville Marsh in the winter before migrating to its breeding ground in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, leaving behind just the odd lonely singing male.
But this year a pair stayed to breed, the first time a reed bunting has done so since 1997.
The species is amber-listed on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern list, meaning it is in moderate decline.
Wildlife photographer John Ovenden recently captured images of the birds, including one of the male reed bunting returning to the nest with three caterpillars in his beak for the chicks.
In a Facebook post, the National Trust for Jersey said: “We are very excited this week to have confirmation of a successful breeding pair of reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) at St Ouen’s Pond SSI, the first confirmed breeding since 1997.
“The female will lay 4-5 eggs, which take 12-13 days to hatch and a further 12-13 days for the chicks to fledge. We are hoping to see the first recorded Jersey-born reed bunting chicks in nearly 30 years very soon.”
Ornithologists are hoping the pair have more luck than the family of reed buntings which were recently featured on the BBC’s Springwatch series.
The nest made national news when the show broadcast grizzly scenes of the chicks being eaten by an adder, something which presenter Chris Packham warned viewers would be a “tough watch”.
