Sutton Bingham - Sat 28 Jul

An early morning visit before breakfast produced a total of eleven Common Sandpipers but the highlight was a Little Ringed Plover that was present on West Pool, albeit distantly as the photo below can testify!

Just a couple of Little Egrets this morning and two Great Black-backed Gulls. The only other birds of note were four Mandarin.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 27 Jul

Not a lot of note during my morning visit today, but returning at lunchtime I found a Greenshank at the southern end of the reservoir. Distant record shots included!

Also at the reservoir today, four Common Sandpipers were present and five Little Egrets were noted. Three Great Black-backed Gulls (all adults) were also seen and at least a dozen Grey Herons were present.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 110 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 26 Jul

A visit pre-work was fairly productive with a Green Sandpiper on West Pool and a second at the southern end. Common Sandpipers numbered eight birds. I also found a Sedge Warbler this morning, seen briefly in vegetation just north of the site of the old hide, obviously a passage bird as Sedge Warblers have not bred at Sutton Bingham for a few years.
A return visit later in the day turned up a Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwing on West Pool.

I'd like to take credit for finding them, but just as I pulled up and got them in my 'scope a text from Dave Chown came through telling me they were there...so I guess I can't really claim finder's rights for either!

Sutton Bingham - Mon 23 Jul

No sign of yesterday's Great White Egret today though I did get a call from the Warden mid-morning to say he had two fly south. As I had a half day at work, obviously I stopped off on the way home but no sign of them unfortunately. I did find a new Green Sandpiper at the southern end though and there were at least five Common Sandpipers milling about.
Some late news from last night, Oli Mockridge found a Dunlin which was viewable from the northern causeway. I couldn't make it up there to take a look, luckily not a patch year tick thanks to the March bird!

Sutton Bingham - Sun 22 Jul

An early start this morning with a couple of Common Sandpipers near the dam and then a fly-through Hobby just as I left the Fishing Lodge (my first Hobby on patch since the mid-May bird). Round then to the northern causeway where I had a real shock! A Great White Egret was stood on the causeway. Not wishing to risk flushing it I parked at the Sailing Club entrance and set up my 'scope, managing to get a few photos of it before a car zoomed past and flushed the bird.

 

Fortunately it didn't fly too far and when I left it was feeding under the trees below the car park. This is only my fourth Great White Egret at Sutton Bingham and my second "self-found" bird. As you can see from the photos, it was ringed but unfortunately I could not make out any details, though apparently it could be one of four juveniles ringed at Ham Wall RSPB this year.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 109 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 20 Jul

Nothing more than Common Sandpipers recently but a juvenile Mediterranean Gull was present this afternoon on the northern causeway, quite a smart looking gull!

Not much else about though today.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 18 Jul

A Green Sandpiper was a new arrival this morning, and a welcome addition to the patch year list. The bird was present on the exposed area of mud at the southern end of the reservoir. A total of four Common Sandpipers were also seen today along with the long staying handful of Little Egrets, a calling Raven, a single Great Black-backed Gull and a five Mandarin.
A return visit in the afternoon produced two Green Sandpipers and five Common Sandpipers.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 108 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 17 Jul

An early morning visit produced an Oystercatcher that must have been somewhere on the northern causeway when I arrived as it was evidently flushed by a fisherman and I only picked it up flying away westwards having heard it calling.
Nothing else out of the ordinary this morning, with a total of four Common Sandpipers and five Little Egrets being present plus a single Great Black-backed Gull and three young Mandarin.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 15 Jul

A couple of Oystercatchers were present at the reservoir today, first seen between the car park and canoe club they flew north and were later relocated in a private area.

A nice addition to the patch year list, albeit somewhat expected (if ever you can expect a bird to turn up somewhere). Also today, a couple of Common Sandpipers and seven Mandarin. A few Linnets have been about recently too.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 107 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 13 Jul

A decent pre-work visit to the reservoir today starting with a walk along the southern arm where four Common Sandpipers and four Little Egrets were seen and a Raven flew over. From the northern causeway the only bird of note was a Great Black-backed Gull so round to the Fishing Lodge where a Redshank was showing really well.

 

A further four Common Sandpipers were noted, bringing the day total to eight, the highest since spring passage birds passed through.
A return visit in the afternoon produced the first Mediterranean Gulls of the "autumn" with two adults, a second-summer and a juvenile bird. Further larid interest was provided in by a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 9 Jul

Pick of this morning's visit was a Lapwing that flew through heading north. A total of five Common Sandpipers were noted today and Little Egrets numbered some four individuals. The three Great Black-backed Gulls were all present again today.
Of interest, a Black-tailed Skimmer was seen this morning.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 4 Jul

Fairly consistent fair over the last couple of days, though a pair of Tufted Duck were on West Pool yesterday evening. Today though a bit of excitement with a Black-tailed Godwit that was found circling the north-east corner of the reservoir before flying off strongly to the south. Also this morning a couple of Common Sandpipers were present as were two Little Egrets. A Mute Swan was new in and was lingering off the dam and a Kingfisher was seen carrying a small fish. The female Mandarin was seen off the northern causeway after a few days of going missing and great news that she still has all five ducklings with her.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 106 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 1 Jul

An early morning visit was somewhat productive with another Redshank on the dam.

 

There were also three Common Sandpipers present today. Aside from these waders there was not much about, with three Great Black-backed Gulls and four Little Egrets. A Kingfisher was being harassed by a couple of Black-headed Gulls as it zoomed along carrying a fish (so obviously still feeding young somewhere nearby). At least one Sand Martin was feeding with Swallows and House Martins off the dam.