Sutton Bingham - Wed 30 Dec

A mid-afternoon visit failed to produce any last minute additions to the year list. Wigeon numbers had crept again though with seventy-five off the Fishing Lodge along with thirty-two Canada Geese and a first-winter Mute Swan.

A female Stonechat was seen down the southern arm and there was a fair amount of gull movement with lots of birds heading south. I also counted what I believe is a county record for Somerset for Mediterranean Gulls. An astonishing two hundred and forty two flew south between 3.20pm and 3.40pm in an almost continual stream. At least fifty Common Gulls and smaller numbers of Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were also passing south. A further six Mediterranean Gulls were on the water off the Sailing Club, meaning a total for the reservoir this afternoon of 248 birds.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 23 Dec

Dreadful weather when I stopped off at the reservoir early afternoon but I managed to find a female Brambling that the Wessex Water ranger had found earlier in the week. Not a new bird for the year list with one being present back in January in the same area, but a lovely bird to see all the same. Also today a pair of Tufted Duck and a pair of Mandarin with just seven Wigeon.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 19 Dec

Finally managed a brief visit to the reservoir this afternoon and a Greylag Goose was a nice find, present with a flock of around forty Wigeon and a drake Tufted Duck in the north-east corner. It was roosting when I first saw it but having been disturbed by something it took flight and headed east and was lost to sight.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 10 Dec

Still really quiet at the reservoir though there were at least twenty-one Mediterranean Gulls in the roost this evening (a total of different birds seen by myself and Pete Akers). The only other sighting of note was the pair of Pintail still with the Wigeon flock in the the north-east corner.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 3 Dec

I spent about an hour at the reservoir just before dark, concentrating on the north-eastern corner as the southern end and West Pool were both pretty much devoid of birds. Amongst 105 Wigeon and 120 Canada Geese I located a single female Pintail and a lone Teal. It was a good evening for gulls with regard to the number present, I estimated at least 3500 in the roost, but I was unable to find anything different amongst the usual species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 30 Nov

Well I thought I'd give it one last go to try and avoid a blank month with regard to patch year ticks with a visit this lunchtime, but I failed. That being said there was still a drake Pintail in the north-east corner with the Wigeon flock and a pair of Gadwall were new in. The surprise find of the day came in the form of a Great White Egret halfway down the arm of the reservoir.

Now I know they are no longer the rarity they once were but I still get a lot of pleasure from finding one, especially on the patch. This one was originally on the near back but I guess I must've flushed it as it flew and landed in trees on the far side.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 29 Nov

A late afternoon visit was pretty quiet, a lone Mediterranean Gull few south with several other gulls and I failed to find any thing else of interest in the gull roost as it gathered. From the Fishing Lodge there were a hundred and ten Canada Geese whilst Wigeon had increased to 136 birds split in to a few groups, some of which were on the dam with three Pintail.

The only other birds of note were a Kingfisher that did a typically brief fly through up over the dam wall and down to the outflow stream and two fly-over Raven.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 27 Nov

A quick lunchtime visit produced a female Pintail with the Wigeon flock but there was no sign of yesterday's Greylag Goose.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 26 Nov

I started this afternoon's visit in the north-east corner where a single Greylag Goose was amongst the flock of one hundred and twenty Canada Geese. Not a new bird for the year list but a bit of interest after a fairly quiet few weeks at the reservoir.

Also in the north-east corner the Wigeon flock numbered a hundred birds. Half a dozen Meadow Pipits were opposite Goose Slade Farm but a quick check of West Pool failed to produce anything.

I then decided to check out the southern end and had a good look around the Cotton Bridge area but again it was very quiet with just a single Sparrowhawk seen. The marshy area south of Cotton Bridge did yield thirty-one Snipe and nine Teal however.

A quick check from the site of the old hide then turned up a surprise find in the form of a drake Garganey! I presume it could be the same bird that overwintered in the area last year. So although there were a couple of decent Sutton Bingham birds today I again failed to add to the year list.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 19 Nov

 A couple of hours at the reservoir this afternoon but despite my best efforts I was unable to find that much and it's now been several weeks since my last addition to the patch year list. There were still a few birds about though with encouraging numbers of Greenfinch feeding near the Fishing Lodge with at least twenty birds present. Also near the Fishing Lodge a minimum of forty Collared Doves flew in to their roost tree as the light began to fade. There were still around fifty Wigeon in the north-east corner, but nothing in with them today. At the base of the car park a male Blackcap was present with a Goldcrest and a few Long-tailed Tits. The gull roost was pretty packed tonight, but I was unable to find anything different amongst the usual suspects.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 15 Nov

Not many chances to visit the patch over the last ten days of so, though a brief check on Thursday 12 November produced a couple of Stonechat and the white gull again present in the roost.

Today I managed an hour and a half on site but again failed to add anything to the year list. A drake Pintail was with fifty-one Wigeon and 133 Canada Geese in the north-east corner.

A Peregrine was seen from the dam. A dozen Snipe were on West Pool and the only other bird of note was a single Stonechat along just south of the Canoe Club.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 5 Nov

Two hours on patch this afternoon and very little to show for it. Wigeon were up to eight-six birds and the Canada Goose flock had grown to one hundred and one birds. A Little Grebe was seen from the Fishing Lodge and the "white gull" I first found three weeks ago reappeared. Further analysis of this strange individual may suggest a leucistic Lesser Black-backed Gull due to the slightly smaller and more delicate nature compared to a Herring Gull...but who knows?

In the gull roost a single adult winter-plumaged Mediterranean Gull added a little interest.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 1 Nov

 The Common Sandpiper has made it in to November and was still present on the northern causeway this morning. Not a lot else about though with two Teal at the southern end and from the Fishing Lodge the Wigeon flock was up to seventy-nine birds and seventy-four Canada Geese were present.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 30 Oct

A few brief visits over the course of the week have failed to turn up anything, though a Mute Swan was present yesterday and was still on site this morning. However, of much more interest was a Garganey that was seen from the northern causeway flying south with three Mallard, unfortunately I was unable to relocate it at the southern end. A Stonechat was seen flitting around in the vegetation along the water's edge at the southern end and a Coot was off the northern causeway.

A quick stop in pouring rain the following morning, Sat 31Oct, produced a total of three Coot and a very late Swallow.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 25 Oct

My first visit to the reservoir for over a week due to our family holiday in Cornwall and it does not look like I have missed that much, though the water levels are very high now. Wigeon numbers had increased to sixty-five birds and a single Common Sandpiper was on the northern causeway, surely it will be heading off south to Africa soon? Three Skylark, a single Siskin and a small flock of eighteen Fieldfare passed overhead whilst I was on site.

Cornwall - Sat 17 Oct - Sat 23 Oct

A week away...at last...as we were due to take this family holiday back in March until the whole COVID-19 lockdown business and it was great to get some time off work and get away for a proper break. A Red Kite was one of the first birds we saw after crossing the Tamar in to Cornwall and after arriving at the holiday cottage after dark on Saturday night a pair of Tawny Owls were calling from the garden, so a good start to the trip! The following morning my first Fieldfares and Redwings of the Autumn flew over as well as a good number of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. A trip to Pendower and Carne beaches produced a total of four Clouded Yellows as well as a Whinchat with a few Stonechats on the coastal path.

A Firecrest in the garden was a good start to Monday and this was further improved by the presence of a Cirl Bunting. A trip to Portscatho yielded half a dozen Common Gulls and at least ten Mediterranean Gulls off the harbour and a couple of Rock Pipits were unsurprisingly feeding on the rocks.

We then headed to St Mawes where I found a Firecrest and a couple of Chiffchaffs whilst on a walk to the east of the town. The River Percuil estuary held Greenshank and Redshank as well as a couple of Curlew.

Tuesday afternoon saw me pop out for a hour or so to check out Ruan Lanithorne where with the tide being low I managed to find a few waders including a lone Black-tailed Godwit with seven Lapwings and a single Common Sandpiper. Two Little Grebes were on the river and a nice flock of around fifty Stock Doves was seen over the adjacent fields. That evening a Clifden Nonpariel moth alighted on the cottage wall, and it was still present the following morning, albeit a little soggy.

A walk around the churchyard (though they are more like gardens) at St Just at Roseland on Wednesday in what was pretty poor weather, however, I did find another Firecrest along with a Blackcap and Goldcrest. In the afternoon we popped over the river on the King Harry Ferry and took a wander around the National Trust site of Trelissick, though nothing much in the way of birds other than common seaside species.

More garden action on Thursday morning with two Tawny Owls belting it out at 6.50am. After breakfast we found two Firecrests in the garden feeding just outside the front door.

Later in the day we headed to Towan Beach where at least five Grey Seals were present and three Mediterranean Gulls were offshore.

On Friday morning I popped down to Pendower for an early morning seawatch which produced five Great Northern Divers, of which three were in fine summer plumage. A single Kittiwake and several Gannets were out to sea and three Razorbills were noted.

Later in the day we popped to Melinsey Mill for a cream tea and whilst there saw a couple of Marsh Tits amongst commoner fair. Another beach walk rounded off the day and then before we knew it it was Saturday morning and we had to pack up and come home. A brilliant week away and batteries fully recharged!

Sutton Bingham - Thu 15 Oct

A flicker of excitement this afternoon when a stumbled upon an all white gull, but after a quick glance I was certain it was just a leucistic Herring Gull.

However, what followed was much discussion on our own SBR WhatsApp group and Twitter about what this bird actually was. A second summer Iceland Gull was suggested but after much more online discussion the general consensus was that my original call was correct and it was indeed a Herring Gull. Other than the dodgy gull there was not really much else about, a female Stonechat was in the same area as the male that I found the other day. A couple of Coots were present and a few Swallows and Chiffchaffs were noted.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 11 Oct

A decent two and a half hours on patch this morning and quite a bit of Skylark movement with at least ten passing through along with a similar number of Siskin also going over. A male Stonechat was on West Pool.

A couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were still about, though presumably passage birds. The two Common Sandpipers were still on West Pool. At least forty Meadow Pipits were present across the site. A Tufted Duck was a new arrival and at the southern end the number of Teal and Wigeon seemed to be pretty much the same as it has been for the past few days. Finally, two Kingfishers were also seen this morning.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 9 Oct

A quick lunchtime visit today produced a Green Sandpiper with a single Common Sandpiper at the southern end of the reservoir. Two more Common Sandpipers were on the northern causeway and a Little Grebe was also present.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 8 Oct

A bit of time at the reservoir this afternoon, but other than an adult Yellow-legged Gull it was pretty much more of the same today.

Two Common Sandpipers were again present on the West Pool side of the northern causeway whilst at the southern end around twenty Teal and a similar number of Wigeon. A single Siskin was heard flying over and at least thirty Meadow Pipits were present. Finally, three Common Gulls, all sub-adult birds, were on buoys around the water tower.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 4 Oct

What a dismal morning, raining consistently for what seems like over 36 hours and still falling when I arrived on site at about 8.45am. I went straight to the southern end and was not surprised to see that all the mud that had been exposed over the summer had gone, covered in water. That being said there were twenty Mandarin present (a quick look yesterday had produced two dozen) and a similar number of Teal and Mallard and three Wigeon. Whilst scanning the duck a massive raptor burst from the vegetation and attempted to take a mallard before banking and alighting in one of the small trees on the water's edge. A Goshawk! Unbelievable and what a bird. It was an adult male, striking grey with the nice white "eyebrows" and the size of a Buzzard, making the nervous Grey Heron look almost small in comparison. Unfortunately the distant and rain made getting a photo all but impossible, but I had a go nonetheless.

After this excitement I wandered up towards the Canoe Club and relocated the Ringed Plover on the water's edge.

In the same area there were around thirty of so Meadow Pipits, a Common Sandpiper and a nice male Stonechat. I then went up to the northern causeway and again saw the Coot that has been present for a short while now, but nothing else of note. So a quick drive round to the Fishing Lodge but other than nine Wigeon it was very quiet. Several hundred Swallows and House Martins were feeding over the reservoir for the duration of my ninety minutes on site.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 116 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 2 Oct

A very quick visit in the rain at lunchtime was not very productive! The Ringed Plover was still present though with rising water levels I doubt it will be around much longer and it looks as if the recent rain will have done enough to push the water up high enough to cover the exposed mud, thus putting pay to any late wader migration unfortunately. Two Common Sandpipers were on West Pool and a Coot was off the northern causeway.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 1 Oct

A good couple of hours on patch this afternoon and whereas I failed to make any additions to the year list but there were still a few decent birds about. The Ringed Plover that I found on Tuesday (but failed to see in pouring rain yesterday) was still around, though always a little distant.

A single Snipe and a Green Sandpiper were also at the southern end along with a total of nineteen Teal and two Wigeon. A further seven Wigeon were off the dam. Two Common Sandpipers were feeding on and around the dam wall.

There was again a good number of Meadow Pipits with over fifty across the site, most in the northeast corner with twenty or so Linnets and several Pied Wagtails...which attracted the attention of a Sparrowhawk. A first winter Common Gull was on the floats surrounding the tower.

A single Siskin flew over heading north and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was present. A good number of Swallows were seen and a few Chiffchaffs were around. Finally, a Raven was heard calling and a Coot was still present. So all in all a good afternoon.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 29 Sep

Another quick lunchtime visit today, it's pretty much the only chance I have to visit the reservoir at present, and today a couple of new birds with a  Ringed Plover present with three Common Sandpipers feeding on the mud at the southern end.

Also at the southern end a single Gadwall roosting on the far bank with Mallards. This was a long overdue patch year tick for me.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 115 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 28 Sep

The only reason I'm writing a blog post today is simply because I saw two Coots at the reservoir this lunchtime! There were still three Common Sandpipers milling around and again plenty of Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and Linnets on the dam (I missed a Stonechat and Wheatear found by the Wessex Water Ranger, Ivan, earlier in the day).

Sutton Bingham - Sun 27 Sep

A brief mid-morning visit between taxiing services and there was a massive arrival of Meadow Pipits around West Pool, with somewhere in the region of sixty birds, which in turn attracted the attention of a male Sparrowhawk. A further dozen or so Meadow Pipits were on the dam with twenty Linnets and a lone Wigeon was resting.

Three Grey Wagtails were also on West Pool and a lone Coot was off the northern causeway. Four Common Sandpipers were scattered across the site whilst at the southern end a single Snipe was present.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 25 Sep

A quick lunchtime visit and the Greenshank was still at the southern end along with a single Common Sandpiper. A slight increase in the number of Teal with sixteen birds present today. A couple of decent gulls today with a second calendar year Common Gull and a very smart juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 24 Sep

An afternoon visit today was fairly productive. The Greenshank that had turned up last Sunday evening was still present, and today was the first chance I had to actually go and see it as my car has been off the road.

Also at the southern end two Snipe were out feeding in the open.

A total of four Common Sandpipers were present around the reservoir whilst two Meadow Pipits were present with several Pied Wagtails and fifteen Linnets on the dam.

A small flock of nine Siskin flew over and there were at least a hundred hirundines over the reservoir, mainly Swallows and House Martins but at least one Sand Martin was seen.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 20 Sep

Yesterday's Little Stint was still present this late morning along with three Common Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers and a Snipe.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 19 Sep

I'm without a car for a few days as it's off the road awaiting a repair, but luckily I was able to borrow my wife's car to get to work this morning and that also gave me a chance to have a quick stop at the reservoir on the way in to the office. Stopping at the northern causeway there wasn't much about until I spotted a Dunlin on West Pool.

There were also two Common Sandpipers and two Teal on West Pool, so obviously a few arrivals overnight. With that in mind I headed down to the southern end where there were a few more birds about. A further fourteen Teal were present and then a number of waders flew up and then settled again. The two long-staying Green Sandpipers vanished out of site but there were still three Common Sandpipers and a Snipe showing. I then noticed another small wader, so quickly getting the 'scope set up I was thrilled to find a Little Stint, the first at Sutton Bingham for a good few years.

This diminutive wader certainly made the visit worthwhile, even if it did mean I was running the risk of being late for work!

A quick stop on the way home from work produced two female Shoveler that had subsequently been found but I had missed first thing.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 114 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 17 Sep

A quick visit yesterday produced a Wigeon and a fly over Yellow Wagtail but I was able to spend a couple of hours on patch this afternoon and it was much the same as recent visits. The two Green Sandpipers and three Common Sandpipers were still present at the southern end. I took a walk around the Cotton Bridge area and whereas there were plenty of birds I failed to find anything new for the year list. A Marsh Tit was nice to see though and a small flock of half a dozen Siskin were buzzing around.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 15 Sep

Another lunchtime visit today and again all the action was at the southern end where three Common Sandpipers and one Green Sandpiper were present. Two Mute Swans were new in and amongst the gathered Mallards there were two Teal and a single Wigeon.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 14 Sep

A visit yesterday produced two Green Sandpipers and three Common Sandpipers but at lunchtime today I could only find a couple of Common Sandpipers. Two Teal were also at the southern end whilst a nice adult Yellow-legged Gull was present on the water. Not the best of photos admittedly but it was a bit of a beast.

There must have been getting on for three hundred large gulls on the reservoir today. The only other sighting of note was of an adult Little Grebe, again at the southern end.