Sutton Bingham - Wed 6 Nov

I popped out late afternoon and took a look at the reservoir and couldn't believe my eyes when I found a Great Northern Diver off the dam and viewable from the northern causeway! This is the first record for the site and unbelievably the second species of diver at Sutton Bingham Reservoir this year. The bird showed very well, if somewhat distantly, for the duration of my stay with a slight exception when it swam out of view for ten minutes. I did attempt a couple of record shots, but poor late afternoon autumnal light, distance, and a bad photographer meant I could only produce this!

 

Also present this afternoon, four Tufted Duck were on West Pool and a single Redwing flew over. As the light started to fade so the gulls arrived in their masses. I gave up counting Black-headed Gulls but there were at least five hundred on the water. Amongst them at least twenty Common Gulls and several larger gulls.
I left for home after a final look at the Great Northern Diver and a pretty chuffed feeling having found my second site first in a month. Hard work pays off it seems.