Sutton Bingham - Mon 31 Dec

My final visit to the reservoir of the year and an hour on site mid-afternoon produced two drake and one duck Pintail off the Fishing Lodge in the company of three Teal. The Wigeon flock was dispersed in to three groups, but still totalled eighty-four birds and the Canada Geese seemed to be split up a bit too, with a few small groups and a total of seventy birds. A single Mediterranean Gull was picked up in the gathering gull roost but I failed to find anything else. It was encouraging to count ten Greenfinch at the Fishing Lodge.
Finally, I'd like to wish all the followers of my blog a very Happy New Year and a prosperous, healthy, and bird filled 2019.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 26 Dec

An hour on patch late-morning provided a surprising range of birds with a very unexpected Red Kite flying north over the reservoir. A Little Egret then flew over heading east and then a flock of eight Egyptian Geese flew in from the north heading south, followed by a lone Lapwing...all this within about 15 minutes! As I walked back to where I had parked I saw the Egyptian Geese had settled on the water, so I grabbed a quick shot of all eight, the highest number I have ever seen together at Sutton Bingham.

 

I could only muster up fifty-four Wigeon today and four Teal. The Canada Goose flock numbered some thirty-nine birds.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 117 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 21 Dec

Back on patch this afternoon and a Shelduck was near the dam, though not viewable from public rights of way.

West Pool hosted a pair of Shoveler and three pairs of Gadwall. Three Tufted Duck and five Teal were off the Fishing Lodge along with fifty-seven Wigeon.

Lanzarote - Thu 13 Dec to Thu 20 Dec

A family, so strictly non-birding, holiday to Lanzarote to get some winter sun was really relaxing and enjoyable. Although it was not a birding trip I did of course manage to get some done and had taken my 'scope and bins "just in case"! Having visited Lanzarote in 2009 there were not any target species to go for as I had cleaned up first time round, but it was still good to see some species I'd not had the opportunity to view for a few years.
The plains north-east of Playa Blanca, the resort where we stayed, produced three Cream-coloured Coursers a few Lesser Short-toed Larks and some Southern Grey Shrikes.
A trip to Timanfaya National Park for a camel ride and to see the volcano was good for Rock Dove and Trumpeter Finch, plus a bonus Barbary Falcon.
I did manage a couple of trips to the salt pans and lagoon at Salinas de Janubio. This was great for birds, with good numbers of Black-winged Stilt, seventy Black-necked Grebe, a Spoonbill, Knot, several Ruddy Shelduck, loads of Sanderling and Ringed Plover, etc. I also had three Teal here, but light was dreadful so I could not rule out Green-winged Teal.
Other highlights of the holiday included several Berthelot's Pipits, a Hoopoe and a Laughing Dove.
All in all not a bad little haul for a family holiday, just 37 species for the week, but we fully recharged our batteries.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 12 Dec

An adult winter Little Gull, amazingly the third on patch I've found this year, was present in the gull flock this afternoon, rather too distant for a photo, but I tried nonetheless.

It was in fact quite a good visit today, with a decent flock of one hundred and twenty Wigeon and a total of eighty-one Canada Geese. Just a single Teal today though. A Skylark flew over whilst also amongst the gulls, a third calendar year Great Black-backed Gull and an adult Mediterranean Gull. A Peregrine was on a pylon at the southern end and a Kestrel was also seen. It was nice to find a Marsh Tit and two Ravens were noted. Three Bullfinch were also seen and a nice flock of thirty Chaffinch was a good total.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 5 Dec

The only birds of note this afternoon in heavy rain were a flock of forty-nine Wigeon and a single drake Gadwall off the Fishing Lodge, nothing else about at all.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 30 Nov

A very quick pre-work visit produced a flock of fifty-five Lapwing heading north and a handful of Redwing plus five Meadow Pipits going in the opposite direction. Nothing in the way of wildfowl this morning.

Chew Valley Lake - Thu 29 Nov

As I was up in Bristol all day attending a conference it seemed only fitting to stop off at Chew Valley Lake on the way home just before it got dark. A quick stop at Heron's Green produced a couple of Great White Egrets plus a very brief Green Sandpiper. A small party of six Black-tailed Godwits were just off the causeway and amongst the gathered masses of wildfowl a single female Red-crested Pochard and a female Goosander.
Round then to Herriot's Pool where another two Great White Egrets were noted and a single Black-tailed Godwit and three Dunlin amongst a large flock of Lapwing. A female Goldeneye was noted and a couple of Shelduck were seen. Large numbers of birds out on the main reservoir but the failing light and deteriorating weather were against me.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 28 Nov

A little over an hour at the reservoir this afternoon and it was mainly wildfowl, with the exception of two Sparrowhawks (a male over West Pool and a female over the main reservoir).
The pick of the birds today was a very interesting duck which I originally presumed to be a Tufted Duck x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, though after much debate on Twitter it would seem that Red-crested Pochard x Rosy-billed Pochard (a South American species) is perhaps more likely. Whatever its parentage, it is a pretty awesome duck.

Also today at the southern end of the reservoir a pair of Mandarin and two pairs of Pintail, whilst commoner fair included a dozen Teal and at least sixty Mallard. Wigeon totalled an impressive 116 birds and around eight Canada Geese were present.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 25 Nov

I actually managed just over an hour at the reservoir this afternoon, my first proper visit for what seems like an age. The highlight was the presence of two Shelduck at the southern end, in with a mixed flock of eighty-seven Wigeon, around forty Teal, seven Tufted Duck and lots of Mallard. Surprisingly there were also six Mute Swans present today, all but one being sub-adult birds. From the Fishing Lodge the Canada Goose flock numbered eighty-five birds and there were thousands of gulls dropping in to roost, but other than a single Common Gull I couldn't pick out anything scarce.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 13 Nov

A brief evening visit to check the gull roost paid off today with a first-winter Little Gull present in the roost, unfortunately it was rather distant and when the mass of Black-headed Gulls (there were at least twelve hundred present)  suddenly took to the air I lost it and couldn't relocate the little beauty. Also this evening an adult Mediterranean Gull and two second-winter Common Gulls amongst the commoner species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 7 Nov

I finally managed a little bit of time at the reservoir today after nearly two weeks since my last proper visit. The pick of the afternoon was an unseasonal Redshank present on West Pool and was by far the best bird seen today. It was only really ducks today, with over one hundred and twenty Mallard, seventy Teal and forty Wigeon counted. Overhead, a single Meadow Pipit flew through.

Cornwall - Sat 27 Oct to Sat 3 Nov

A week away in Cornwall with the family and pretty much the first birds on the list were a flock of around twenty Golden Plover over the A30 as we entered the county.
Sunday was the first proper day out and about and started with a wander around St Just in Roseland where a couple of Cirl Buntings were feeding in a hedgerow with commoner species and six Mediterranean Gulls were over the water. On then to Porthcurnick Beach where a couple more Mediterranean Gulls were noted and a Great Northern Diver was offshore. I ended the day with a trip to Pendower and a seawatch from the car park which provided a bit of interest. Out in the bay a flock of twelve Common Scoter with another three in a different part of the bay, three Great Northern Divers were present also but the pick of the birds was a Great Skua seen distantly.
A slow start to Monday, but that's what holidays are all about. Over our accommodation I noticed a steady trickle of Skylarks and a surprise as a Woodlark was in amongst them. Off then to Pendower Beach and a walk along to Carne Beach and back. I only had my binoculars so checking the sea was always going to be tricky but I still managed to see sixteen Common Scoters (in a single flock) plus three Great Northern Divers which were quite close in. A Black-necked Grebe showed quite well whilst a White Wagtail was present on the beach with Rock Pipits and Meadow Pipits. The day ended well with a Barn Owl flying past the end of the garden and a Tawny Owl calling.
Tuesday was a lovely day and started with a singing Cirl Bunting in the garden before taking a walk up the valley from Pendower to Melinsey Mill. Not as many birds around as I would have liked but a couple of Marsh Tits were a nice addition to the trip list and singles of both Siskin and Lesser Redpoll flew down the valley. Returning home a flock of around eighty Golden Plover were over the fields near Trewithin. A quick evening visit to Pendower produced a Slavonian Grebe and several divers, most of which were too distant to identify but a few could be picked out as Great Northern Divers and a few more were Black-throated Divers. I failed to yesterday's Barn Owl in the evening, but whilst waiting outside in the hope it would appear a Woodcock flew over!
A walk to Percuil on Wednesday produced a few bits and pieces along the river. A couple of Greenshank were present along with a single Dunlin. A handful of Shelduck were seen whilst on the water a total of eight Little Grebes were noted. Not much else out of the ordinary though.
Thursday was a day "over the river" as we took the King Harry Ferry across the River Fal and drove down to Devoran. I tried and failed to find the Lesser Yellowlegs that had been present but did add a few birds to the trip list such as Mute Swan and Canada Goose. Waders were not present in massive numbers but I did see several Redshank and Curlew plus a few Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits. Off then to Trelissick where a wander around the house and grounds was enjoyable even if it was quiet on the bird front.
Our final full day saw us back at Pendower Beach and the weather was super, t-shirt and shorts weather in November! Out in the bay I added Red-necked Grebe to the trip list. The Common Scoter flock had increased to eighteen birds and there were a few Great Northern Divers and Black-throated Divers present.
Back home on Saturday and nothing to add to the list but it was an amazing family holiday and it was good to recharge the batteries.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 26 Oct

Highlight this morning was a Green Sandpiper which was picked up in flight as it was being chased by a Black-headed Gull. The unwanted attention was obviously too much as the Green Sandpiper gained height and flew off strongly to the south.
The Teal flock was slightly down in number this morning with twenty-six birds present and just a single Wigeon was noted. A Kingfisher was near the Canoe Club and a Little Egret was on West Pool.
At the southern end at least twenty Pied Wagtails were feeding alongside just a couple of Meadow Pipits. Overhead a Skylark was heard and a single Redwing passed through.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 25 Oct

A brief early morning visit produced a patch year tick in the form of a fly-over Lesser Redpoll. Later in the day a Lapwing was present on West Pool whilst at the southern end a flock of forty Teal and two Mistle Thrushes flew over.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 116 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 23 Oct

My first visit to the reservoir for a few days and it was pretty rewarding with three Shelduck present off the dam, whilst West Pool hosted a Little Egret and four Teal with a small flock of six Linnet flying through.
A quick look from the Canoe Club produced a further thirty-one Teal and eighteen Wigeon with around eighty Mallard.
Overhead my first Fieldfare and Redwing of the winter, with fifteen of the former and a couple of the latter.

Treeve Moor, Land's End - Sat 20 Oct

After an agonising week of waiting I was finally able to go down to Cornwall this afternoon to twitch the Grey Catbird that had turned up at the previous Monday. Having to work in the morning was a bit of a headache so I didn't actually get going until midday. Fortunately I had company as long-time birding mate John joined me for the trip.
After an uneventful three and a half hour drive we arrived on site only to have missed the bird by seconds! Luckily we only had to wait half an hour or so before it showed again, not that close but great views in the 'scope with all the features easily identifiable before it flew towards us and in to a blackthorn bush.
After a further thirty minute wait it then called, not convinced it sounds like a cat but anyway, and eventually popped up in to the top of the blackthorn and this time I even managed a couple of record shots of the Grey Catbird.

What an awesome bird, and only the second Grey Catbird for the UK, well worth the drive.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 18 Oct

A flying visit on the way home form work produced an amazing flock of three Pochard! A drake and two female-first-winter type birds. This is the highest single Pochard count at the reservoir for several years. Also today, two Tufted Duck and seven Wigeon.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 17 Oct

A quick stop on my way home after being in Bath all day and it produced six Pintail at the southern end, all of which were female/first-winter type birds, and I could only manage to get four of them in shot at once.

There were still half a dozen Wigeon present along with a pair of Teal and a single Tufted Duck. A small flock of five Skylark flew over.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 16 Oct

An afternoon at Sutton Bingham today and a lot of hard work with not much reward. A Stonechat was present in the field behind the Canoe Club, though rather distant. Two Gadwall were present with the Mallard flock and six Wigeon at the southern end.

A Peregrine was seen atop one of the pylons and a search around Cotton Bridge produced four Chiffchaff and a Marsh Tit but nothing more unusual. Another Chiffchaff was present at the outflow stream whilst a Kingfisher was seen at the dam.
Overhead there was some good Skylark movement with a total of twenty-three birds being noted, including flocks of fourteen and six. Just a couple of Meadow Pipits today though, both flying over.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 10 Oct

A Stonechat at West Pool was the pick of the birds this afternoon with very little else about. Half a dozen Wigeon were at the southern end and three Little Egrets were on site. A Chiffchaff was heard calling near the car park.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 8 Oct

No chance to check the reservoir before work today as I was running late, not normally an issue but when I had a text from James to say a Pochard was present a stressful morning followed until I could get away during my lunch break to try and catch up with a species that is really hard to get on the patch year list nowadays, with just one or possibly two sightings a year recently.
Anyway, all was good as I arrived at the northern causeway and the Pochard was showing well.

No time to look for anything else as I needed to zoom back to the office!
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 115 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 7 Oct

A mid-morning visit was barely worth while with jut a couple of Wigeon viewable from the Fishing Lodge plus a Kingfisher on the dam and a small flock of seven Meadow Pipits which flew over. A Raven was seen and a Chiffchaff was calling. Just a single Linnet today but a Common Gull was new in.
A call from James early evening sent me back to the reservoir though as he had seen a rather skulking warbler. After much hunting we finally pinned it down and it turned out to be a Sedge Warbler, my first October record of this species at Sutton Bingham.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 3 Oct

An afternoon visit produced a Clouded Yellow near the dam which turned out to be the pick of the action today. On the bird front there were fourteen Teal and two Wigeon amongst the usual Mallards. A drake Tufted Duck was off the northern causeway. Other bits and pieces included half a dozen Meadow Pipits, a Reed Bunting and two Little Egret.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 30 Sep

No sign of yesterday's Great White Egret but the Ringed Plover was still present and was slightly closer today.

The only other bird of note today was the first Common Gull of the winter on West Pool early afternoon.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 29 Sep

A surprising find this afternoon with a Great White Egret present at the southern end, at one point standing next to a very diminutive Little Egret.

Another surprise was my second Ringed Plover of the year, quite unusual as this is a species I see much less than annually.

So two quality Sutton Bingham birds today, but neither a patch year tick!
Supporting cast today came in the form of a single Common Sandpiper and a flock of Linnets and Goldfinches that numbered some fifty birds...and try and I might I could not find anything rarer amongst them.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 26 Sep

Not much time to explore the reservoir this afternoon due to a hip x-ray, long story, but I did find five Lapwings at the southern end of the reservoir and these proved to be the only waders I saw. The first Wigeon of the "winter" were off the dam, with four birds being present. Seven Teal were noted whilst a Raven was seen overhead and a dozen Meadow Pipits were seen. Finally, a splash of colour with my first Clouded Yellow of the year seen as it flew along the field below the dam.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 23 Sep

I felt slightly better today, not much, but enough to manage to get up to the reservoir after the heavy rain and the fresh air actually did some good. The pick of the birds was a Ringed Plover, present at the southern end of the reservoir. Not an annual visitor to the site it was a good bird to find.

The Green Sandpiper was still present today and a couple of Common Sandpipers were on West Pool. The first Meadow Pipits of the autumn were noted, with have a dozen on the dam and a couple more on West Pool. A total of seven Teal and four Mandarin were the only wildfowl of note whilst overhead a Skylark was seen heading north. There were still plenty of Swallows and House Martins knocking around, though I'm sure most of these were simply passing through.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 114 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 22 Sep

After a night of no sleep, a banging headache, sore throat and runny nose I really didn't want to go in to work this morning, but needs must. That being said, a very brief stop at the reservoir on the way in produced a fly-through Sandwich Tern which flew west with a couple of gulls. A real bonus patch year tick.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 113 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 21 Sep

A Green Sandpiper was at the southern end, and despite my best efforts I failed to make it in to anything rarer.

 

A couple of Common Sandpipers were also seen but no storm blown rarities at Sutton Bingham after all the recent winy conditions.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 20 Sep

A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was on the northern causeway early evening and six Common Sandpipers were still present.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 19 Sep

A little over an hour at the reservoir this afternoon but nothing out of the ordinary, just routine fair. A total of six Common Sandpipers were noted and five Teal were present. A single Mandarin dropped in to the Mallard flock at the southern end and a Great Black-backed Gull was seen. A trickle of Swallows passed through.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 16 Sep

An unexpected patch year tick today with a drake Gadwall present with Mallards at the southern end of the reservoir.

Other than the Gadwall it was pretty slim pickings (mind you I only spent ten minutes on site) with just three Common Sandpipers and a Great Black-backed Gull being seen.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 112 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 15 Sep

A pre-work visit produced a Little Grebe, the first on patch for several months. A single Great Black-backed Gull was present and half a dozen Common Sandpipers were noted. A couple of Linnets were present with several Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail on the dam and three Teal were at the southern end.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 14 Sep

A flying visit at lunchtime produced three sub-adult Tufted Duck at the southern end plus three Common Sandpipers.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 12 Sep

Nothing overly exciting during a couple of hours at the reservoir this afternoon. There were nine Common Sandpipers and a single Green Sandpiper present along with three Teal, a Little Egret and a fly-over Raven.
Around the outflow stream there were a few Chiffchaff plus singles of Blackcap and Willow Warbler.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 11 Sep

The? Black-tailed Godwit was present again this afternoon, this time on West Pool. A total of five Common Sandpipers were present today.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 10 Sep

A bit of a clear out overnight, with just four Common Sandpipers this morning, though a Green Sandpiper was new in.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 9 Sep

A Black-tailed Godwit was the pick today, though whether it's a new bird or the same as has been present on and off for the past few days is anyone's guess. Other than that just nine Common Sandpipers today.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 7 Sep

A early evening visit produced the Black-tailed Godwit again along with a single Snipe and nine Common Sandpipers.
It would appear I missed a couple of things today though as the warden had a Greenshank earlier in the day and fellow SBR-birder James saw a large wader, probably a Curlew, as he drove past but was unable to relocate it when he returned later.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 6 Sep

The, or another, Black-tailed Godwit was present at the southern end of the reservoir this evening with a Snipe and ten Common Sandpipers. The juvenile Shelduck has finally moved on with no sign today.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 5 Sep

Managed a little over an hour at the reservoir this afternoon but there was not much in the way of new stuff to be seen, it's been a really poor "autumn" so far for passerines. However, a Black-tailed Godwit was off the northern causeway.

Whilst at the southern end ten Common Sandpipers and the long-staying Shelduck were present.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 4 Sep

A brief visit on the way home from work and I focused on the southern end where the juvenile Shelduck was still present along with six Common Sandpipers, four Snipe and ten Teal...that was until some photographer started trespassing in a private area and flushed everything. He may have had a big lens, but he had no field craft!

Sutton Bingham - Mon 3 Sep

The juvenile Shelduck still about today along with the Black-tailed Godwit. Snipe numbers have increased to four birds but I could only find four Common Sandpipers today. A couple of Mute Swans put in an appearance and half a dozen Teal were seen. Finally, a single Little Egret was noted.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 2 Sep

A sub-adult Tufted Duck was a new arrival at the reservoir today, present at the southern end where most of the action seems to be at present. A total of fourteen Teal were seen today and a single Reed Warbler was noted. On the wader front it was much as it was yesterday. The Little Ringed Plover was here for it's third day and was very obliging.

Presumably the same Black-tailed Godwit was also around.

Two Snipe and seven Common Sandpipers were also present today.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 1 Sep

More wader action today with the juvenile Little Ringed Plover again present and showing well, a Black-tailed Godwit was at the southern end with a Greenshank. A total of five Common Sandpipers were located today along with a single Green Sandpiper and two Snipe.

The juvenile Shelduck has now been present for a week.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 31 Aug

A text from Dave Chown telling me of two Black-tailed Godwits was enough to tempt me up to the reservoir during my lunch break today. The Black-tailed Godwits were showing well if somewhat distantly at the southern end with the long-staying Dunlin and juvenile Shelduck. A single Green Sandpiper and three Common Sandpipers were also present. I then turned round and noticed another Common Sandpiper with a smaller wader, a Little Ringed Plover.

A return visit at the end of the day added Snipe to the list with a single bird on West Pool. So a good bit of wader action today, albeit no year ticks.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 29 Aug

More of the same today with the Dunlin and Shelduck still present at the southern end along with three Green Sandpipers and six Common Sandpipers.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 28 Aug

A very long-billed Dunlin gave me a bit of a run around this afternoon. When I first got on the bird it was rather distant and I was hoping it might be something rather more interesting, but closer views including a flight view proved identification.

The juvenile Shelduck was still present as well as two Green Sandpipers and half a dozen Common Sandpipers. Three Mute Swans were present on West Pool. A much welcome patch year tick in the form of three fly-over Yellow Wagtails was the highlight of the visit.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 111 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 27 Aug

Another Wheatear today, present on West Pool but always distant, but never wanting to disappoint here's a photo for you anyway.

The Shelduck was still present this afternoon and there were three Green Sandpipers along with five Common Sandpipers at the southern end of the reservoir. Four Teal and a Mandarin were also noted today.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 26 Aug

A juvenile Shelduck was a new arrival today, present at the southern end of the reservoir.

Also today, two Wheatears, with one on West Pool and the other opposite the Sailing Club. Add to that two Green Sandpipers and six Common Sandpipers plus singles of Teal and Mandarin.