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.