Serin photographed at L\'Eree [LER] on 10/5/2010 Photo: © Mark Guppy (visit site)

The first record of this species came on April 7 1949 when CC Carey had good views of a party of three birds, one male and two females at St Martin. Although the Serin bred for may years in Jersey it has never managed to establish a persistent population in Guernsey despite several attempts.

The first evidence that Serins bred in Guernsey came in 1976. A probably male bird was seen at Jerbourg on 16 May. This was only the second record for Guernsey and the following month a male was singing in the Foulon area at Vimiera and the Dell Nursery during June. A pair of birds were seen in this area throughout the summer and they had almost certainly bred in the vicinity as two juveniles were trapped and the female, when caught in October, had the remains of a brood patch (Transactions). A singing male was also seen at the Reservoir in September. The following year, 1977, a pair of birds were seen at the Vaux de Monel in May and June and this or another pair was seen at the same place in May and June 1978 and April 1979. There is no evidence these birds bred.

The next record came from St Clair Hill in April 1981 and involved a pair. Betweeen 1983 and 1985 Serins were proved to have bred in the Foulon cemetery. In 1983 a pair of birds and 6 juveniles were ringed at the nearby Dell Nursery at the bottom of Le Foulon. In 1984 the adult male ringed in 1983 was present and the pair raised 5 young. WHAT ABOUT 1985?

A bird was seen in St Peter Port in October 1987 and in April 1988 a pair was seen at Les Cornus and on the same day a male was seen singing in the nearby Burnt Lane. In December 1988 and January 1989 a pair of birds was present for a few weeks in a garden in Rue des Grons about a mile away from Burnt Lane. A singing male was again present at Burnt Lane in May and July the following year. This series of records suggests that there may have been a breeding attempt in the Burnt Lane area although this can not be proved.

A presumed migrant was seen at Pleinmont in October 1991 and in May 1992 three singing males were recorded, again at Burnt Lane and also at the Reservoir and the Dell Nursery although none were proved to have bred. The following year a male was again singing at the Foulon for at least 2 weeks in the middle of May and birds was seen in the Talbot Valley on 13 April. In 1995 a singing male was seen at Pezeries on 2 days in June and a party of 6 birds was seen at Richmond, Vazon in October and were presumably a family party which conceivably could have been locally bred. The next confirmed breeding attempt took place in 1997. A singing male was seen in March at Le Guet, a pair in June and a pair and one juvenile in July. Two males were seen in spring 1998 – at Saumarez Park and Fort Saumarez. This ended a long series of records and it was another three years until 2 were seen at Pleinmont in November 2001. In 2002 thre was a long-staying bird at Rocque Poisson in February and March 2001 and then another record at Les Caches, St Martin in April 2004.

These records show that Serins have tried to colonise are Guernsey but have not yet been able to establish themselves. They may become a regular breeding species in the future. At present they are a summer visitor only but the record of a pair of birds wintering in St Martins in 1988/89 does indicate that this may become a resident species in Guernsey. Although not exclusively a parkland species, singing males seem to prefer areas with tall coniferous trees.