Sutton Bingham - Sun 24 Sep

A quick stop at the reservoir on the way home from Arne was fairly profitable. I stopped off at the Fishing Lodge and 'scoped the reservoir from there. The Canada Goose flock had grown to 165 birds and they were joined by three Wigeon. A single Mute Swan was also present. A couple of Common Sandpipers put in an appearance and overhead a Meadow Pipit flew through. A Raven was calling away from the top of a tree and finally there were four Little Egrets still present. Not a bad selection during a 15 minute stop.

Arne RSPB - Sun 24 Sep

Somewhere different today and a trip down to Arne RSPB. I started with a  walk out to Combe Heath where just as I set up my 'scope all the birds went mental as an Osprey flew in, then dived in to the channel and caught a fish before passing overhead with a fish. What a great start to the visit.

 

There were an impressive forty-four Spoonbills in the channel, it was quite something to watch them all take to the air when the Osprey flew in, what a sight and by far my highest count of Spoonbills in the UK. Also in the channel a good number of waders, primarily Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet but a few Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank and a single Knot. To round off the walk around Combe Heath a Dartford Warbler put on a bit of a show in the company of two Stonechats. Overhead, there was a good movement of Meadow Pipits and Swallows.
After a quick bite to eat in the café I headed out to Shipstal Point where nine Sandwich Tern were feeding in the Poole Harbour. Other than a couple of Oystercatchers there was nothing else of note as I completed the walk back to the car park. All in all though a brilliant trip out and the weather was just ideal.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 22 Sep

A late afternoon visit produced a flock of nine Mandarin at the southern end of the reservoir, my highest single count of this enigmatic duck at Sutton Bingham, a shame this record shot doesn't do them justice.

Not a huge amount else around, with a single Teal and two Wigeon present plus an adult Great Black-backed Gull was seen again after no sightings for a little while. A total of five Little Egrets were noted and a single Kingfisher was seen. A couple of Linnet flew over and there were still several Swallows milling around.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 17 Sep

A very busy weekend meant that I only got to spend about an hour at the reservoir on Sunday afternoon over the course of the entire weekend. As I didn't have much time today it was pretty much a whirlwind visit with a single Kingfisher, two Common Sandpipers, seven Little Egrets and a Raven being the only birds of note other than a female Wigeon which was the first of the "winter"!

There were a few Swallows and House Martins still around, but not much else to report today.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 13 Sep

An afternoon visit to the patch rather than a mad rush down to Weymouth to twitch some rare sandpipers...wrong decision! A walk from the car park down to the southern end and back produced a couple of Common Sandpipers, four Little Egrets and a Kingfisher. There was a bit of excitement and frustration as I spent 45 minutes scrambling through vegetation trying to identify a skulking warbler, which eventually turned out to be a Sedge Warbler.
West Pool produced an adult Great Black-backed Gull but nothing else while another Common Sandpiper and three more Little Egrets were noted from the Fishing Lodge. All in all somewhat disappointing given the large numbers of storm-driven waifs that have been reported from other sites around the south-west, but if you don't look you won't find anything I guess.
To add to the frustration, the warden had a Redshank first thing in the morning...no sign of it this afternoon though!

Sutton Bingham - Mon 11 Sep

A quick visit during my lunch hour was not looking like a good idea as it absolutely chucked it down just as I arrived on site. Scanning the reservoir from the car was pointless, and there was hardly anything to see other than a Mute Swan on West Pool and a couple of Little Egrets.
But then the rain stopped so I got out and checked West Pool and the fence line just to the south where I noticed a few birds milling about. So out with the 'scope and I was soon able to pick up a few pipits, and after some close scrutiny it was obvious they were Tree Pipits, result! I've got Tree Pipit on my SBR list, but I've only had fly-over birds identified by their call, so to see grounded birds was a real bonus. Scanning the fence line further I noticed a Yellow Wagtail and then a Spotted Flycatcher! Two patch year ticks in the space of a few minutes, the only down side was that I needed to rush back to work.
Sutton Bingham year list 2017 now at 108 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 10 Sep

I just about managed a hour at the reservoir early in the afternoon, but pretty much straightaway it started to rain, which steadily got worse until I gave up and headed off at around 3pm. That being said I still managed a few things of note today.
There were three Tufted Duck on West Pool and a Wheatear was on the fence line near the horse paddock just south of West Pool. A single Meadow Pipit flew over.
On then to the southern end of the reservoir where a Common Sandpiper was seen and three Teal were noted. Two Mute Swans were also new arrivals, this species didn't even attempt to breed at the reservoir this year. A Kingfisher added a splash of colour in worsening weather.
Back then to the Fishing Lodge where a Sand Martin was seen but not much else unfortunately. A total of six Little Egrets were counted around the reservoir this afternoon.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 9 Sep

A flying visit on the way to work produced the first Meadow Pipit of the autumn as a single bird flew over West Pool. To add another touch of autumn a female Teal was on West Pool and was typically jumpy. A couple of Raven flew over and there was a single Common Sandpiper present as well as a Little Egret.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 6 Sep

A couple of hours at the reservoir this afternoon and the weather was lovely for a change. Starting in the area around West Pool I found a flock of twenty-five Yellow Wagtails, my single highest count of this species at Sutton Bingham and a joy to watch. The photo below shows just some of them.

I then took a walk from the car park down to the far end of the reservoir, but failed to add much, though a couple of Common Sandpipers were noted and there were several Chiffchaffs and Swallows milling about.
Back then to the Fishing Lodge where I counted four Little Egrets, another Common Sandpiper and the adult Great Black-backed Gull was still present. Then a bit of a surprise as an adult Mediterranean Gull dropped in and started bathing. Before long it flew towards me and settled near the dam.

I certainly wasn't expecting to find a Mediterranean Gull this afternoon!

Sutton Bingham - Mon 4 Sep

A quick visit this morning produced a juvenile Tufted Duck off the Sailing Club. After careful scrutiny I couldn't make it in to anything else, and though it didn't look quite right for a Tufted Duck, it certainly wasn't anything more exciting (though whether there was a trace a Scaup somewhere in it's past or not will never be known).

Nothing else to report this morning though.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 3 Sep

It rained today, all day, without stopping. I still decided to take a look at the patch "just in case" with a late morning visit proving to be surprisingly productive despite the dismal weather. A sub-adult Common Tern was off the dam and was probably the pick of the birds (I'm still waiting for a Black Tern to drop in!).

A small flock of seven Yellow Wagtails were flushed from the dam wall and then flew south, an eighth bird flew south soon after. A Common Sandpiper was on West Pool with another two birds along the southern arm. A group of six Mandarin were at the southern end of the reservoir as were two Little Grebes. A total of five Little Egrets were seen and an adult Great Black-backed Gull was still present.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 2 Sep

Lots going on today but I did manage to spend around an hour at the reservoir at midday but it would be safe to say it was nowhere near as productive as yesterday. A Little Grebe and an adult Great Black-backed Gull were on West Pool. A couple of Common Sandpipers were noted and Little Egrets had increased to seven birds. A single Linnet was on the dam and the Canada Goose flock had grown to 105 birds.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 1 Sep

A pre-work visit turned out to be pretty worthwhile with three Wheatears seen, one near the railway embankment, a second near West Pool and a third below the dam, it certainly has been an unprecedented year for Wheatears at Sutton Bingham. A single Yellow Wagtail was also noted this morning. Three Common Sandpipers were present as were four Little Egrets. A Raven was in trees near the Fishing Lodge and there was a fair sized mustering of Swallows, with at least thirty juvenile birds amongst the adults.
Due to the migrants present this morning, I decided on a flying visit over my lunch hour today and this turned out to be inspired. A quick check of the southern end of the reservoir failed to produce anything, but checking the area south of West Pool was well worth while with a good number of birds gathered. The highlight (and a patch year tick) was a Whinchat, but there were also three Wheatears and eight Yellow Wagtails, with many of the later flying in whilst I was on site.

An absolutely brilliant visit, even though it was pushing it getting to the patch and back during my lunch hour.
I did take the opportunity to stop off for another look on the way home tonight. The Whinchat afforded much better views.

One of three Wheatears this evening also showed rather well.

Finally, a Hobby caused a bit of a stir as it passed over West Pool before heading off in a northerly direction. What a great day!
Sutton Bingham year list 2017 now at 106 species.