Jackdaw Photo: © Jason FRIEND (visit site)

The Jackdaw breeds throughout Europe from sub-arctic Finland to the Mediterranean, south to North Africa and east to the Himalayas ans western Siberia. It tends to be a colonial species, nesting in old buildings, cliffs and trees where suitable holes exist. It became extinct as a breeding species in Guernsey around 1931 and did not recolonise the island for another 66 years.

Jackdaws formerly nested in Guernsey. Cecil Smith saw a few birds during his visits to the island and recorded them as breeding on Herm and Jethou. In the summer of 1931 there is a report of two dozen pairs breeding in the tower of St Joseph's Church, which is the last breeding record for the island. Since then Jackdaws have been a scarce migrant and winter visitor in Guernsey, until 1997 when a pair nested at Les Tielles and fledged three chicks.

In Alderney, Smith found Jackdaws to be common in 1876 and Eagle Clark found them to be numerous in 1898. In the early 1900s numbers declined and were extinct by April 1936 when de Gruchy failed to find any birds on a visit to Alderney. Dobson also failed to find any birds in 1946 and the next record was of 8 birds over St Annes in April 1950. In 1979, Condor records the status of the Jackdaw in Alderney as a vagrant and passage migrant remarking 'Records of one to three birds, and sometimes large flocks (c.100) 1958-1978.'

In Sark, Smith found the birds to be common all over the cliffs, more numerous than in Guernsey. F.L. Blaythwaite noticed some in March 1898 and 9 were seen in a weeks visit between 23 May and 1 June 1903. In 1906 birds were still present but it was not mentioned by B.W. Tucker in 1922 and 1923 and was certainly absent during Dobson's visits of 1938 and 1946. All breeding records come from sea cliffs, the nest usually deep in a rock fissure. Between 1973-1992, Rountree lists six records.

In the current period under review, Jackdaws have colonised Alderney (WHEN) and recolonised Guernsey. Since 1997, numbers have increased and Jackdaws regularly breed on the cliffs and have moved away from the cliffs and use nest boxes erected for Kestrels and Barn Owls.