Sutton Bingham - Thu 30 Jul

Despite checking most of the reservoir it was the southern end that produced all the birds of interest. A male Kestrel was seen and my fourth Dunlin of the year was present with five Common Sandpipers and four, possibly as many as five as they were rather flighty, Green Sandpipers.

A handful of Mandarin were also seen at the southern end.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 29 Jul

Not much change over the last few days, with Common Sandpipers numbering some half a dozen birds and four Green Sandpipers being seen. What was presumably the Coot seen a few days ago was again present, this time showing much better off the northern causeway.

At least six Little Egrets and seven Grey Herons were present.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 27 Jul

A few trips to the reservoir over the past few days failed to produce anything of note, and it looked like it was going to be more of the same today initially. However, after much scanning of the southern end I was able to find a total of three Green Sandpipers and five Common Sandpipers and then I stumbled across a Wood Sandpiper! It was favouring the back of the "pond" that has been formed by the drop in water levels. Unfortunately it was always very distant and was last seen in flight in the company of a Green Sandpiper...the latter returned to the same area but I lost the Wood Sandpiper and was unable to relocate it.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 103 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 23 Jul

I got a message early morning from Bob Buckler telling me of a Coot at the southern end of the reservoir, he had seen two off the Sailing Cub earlier in the week (which I didn't see!) so this was a much needed year tick as this is a really hard bird to get at Sutton Bingham nowadays. After arriving on site at 8.30am it took me over an hour to finally locate it!

It may only be a Coot but it was my one hundredth species for Sutton Bingham this year. After popping back home quickly I was back to the reservoir by 10am for a family walk, this time the Coot showed immediately! A total of six Common Sandpipers were also at the southern end.
As I headed home for a second time I made a quick stop at the northern causeway where I found a juvenile Little Grebe, another year tick and another bird that is getting harder to find on patch.

I've no idea where this bird would have been hatched, but it certainly wasn't here. Checking West Pool there were a few Little Egrets at the back of the pool, and quickly scanning with my 'scope I was stunned to find a Cattle Egret, a Sutton Bingham life tick.

A quick return visit late afternoon and the Cattle Egret had moved closer to the road, but behind a tree!

An absolutely belter of a day on patch, three additions to the year list one of which being a patch tick. It does not get much better than that!
Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 102 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 22 Jul

Looks like there was a bit of a clear out overnight, though the Green Sandpiper was still present but only six Common Sandpipers today. The only real bird of interest was a juvenile Common Gull present off the dam.


This is a very unusual plumage at Sutton Bingham with the youngest birds usually being first-winters. No idea where this bird would have been hatched, I'm not aware of any breeding Common Gulls nearby.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 21 Jul

A surprise this morning as a site record count of four Great White Egrets when all four of the birds dropped in to the southern end of the reservoir.

Also today a total of ten Common Sandpipers and a single Green Sandpiper plus three Mandarin.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 20 Jul

An early morning visit starting off at the Fishing Lodge produced two more Dunlin.

A total of nine Common Sandpipers were seen with most being at the southern end with the first Green Sandpiper of the year and three Mandarin.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 99 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 19 Jul

A couple of visits over the past few days produced a Peregrine and a few Mandarin and Common Sandpipers but today was much better.
I headed straight for the southern end as the site was fairly busy today, what with the good weather and that fact it was a Sunday afternoon. Setting up my scope I found a Black-tailed Godwit, my first since 2018 as I drew a blank with this species last year.

A single Common Sandpiper was also at the southern end. I then drove back to the northern causeway where I found two roosting Oystercatchers.

Whilst looking at the Oystercatchers I noticed a smaller wader just to their left, a summer-plumaged Dunlin.

So three year ticks during a quick thirty minute visit this afternoon.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 98 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 16 Jul

Two Redshanks, both of which appeared to be juvenile birds, were on the northern causeway early morning, so I actually managed a few photographs of these as the bird seen earlier in the month was too distant and seen only in flight.

I also managed to get a recording of the Redshank calling when they were disturbed by a passing cyclist and took off for a quick flight before setting on the causeway again.

TimFarr · Redshank - Sutton Bingham - July 2020

From the Fishing Lodge I noted a female-type Mandarin and a Tufted Duck. A couple of Little Egrets were present at the northern end and a Kingfisher was present...albeit briefly. A lone Stock Dove flew over.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 14 Jul

Absolutely nothing of note during an early morning visit this morning, but it warrants a post simply because of a rather unusual observation of a juvenile Blackcap actively feeding on the lawn next to the Fishing Lodge.

I've not seen Blackcaps feeding on the deck before, so this was an interesting bit of behaviour.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 13 July

A Hobby was over the southern end of the reservoir this morning and was the only bird of note other than a single Common Sandpiper.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 12 Jul

A surprise find this morning with a Sedge Warbler singing in a small willow on the water's edge half way down the south arm. It's been a few years since I last had a singing Sedge Warbler on the patch, most birds seen recently have been Autumn migrants. Here's a snippet of it in full flow...excuse the background noise!

TimFarr · Sedge Warbler - Sutton Bingham - July 2020

There were a few other bits and pieces around this morning with a Tufted Duck off the Fishing Lodge where a Kingfisher was also seen. Two Common Sandpipers were present and a single Swift flew over. A lone Linnet was near the dam and a Nuthatch was heard in the same area. A nice total of seven Little Egrets were present and two Skylarks were near the Canoe Club and rounded off a pretty good early morning visit.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 95 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 8 Jul

A visit yesterday morning turned up a couple of Common Sandpipers but nothing else but there was a little more of interest this morning. A Peregrine was at the southern end on one of the pylons and a male Kestrel was also seen in the same area. A single Common Sandpiper was on the northern causeway before being flushed, it was then relocated at the southern causeway. Just the one Little Egret today, present on the West Pool and an adult Great Black-backed Gull was on the main reservoir. A couple of Reed Buntings were heard singing as was a Skylark.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 3 Jul

A very quick visit this morning and I parked up on the northern causeway where there was very little to see other than three Little Egrets perched in the trees below the car park. As I scanned across the main reservoir I noticed the Canada Goose flock take to the water as a angler walked the far shoreline, and then a wader went up as well and flew across the reservoir before being lost to sight, my first Redshank of the year for Sutton Bingham, it even gave a half-hearted call. No time for anything else as I had to get back home to start work.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 94 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 2 Jul

An early morning trip to the reservoir before work today and there were a few things of note about. A Common Sandpiper was on the northern causeway and as I was watching that four Tufted Duck flew in and after a few minutes circling the reservoir settled off the car park. A Reed Bunting was singing near the Canoe Club and a single adult Great Black-backed Gull was again present. A couple of Stock Doves were feeding on the northern causeway and round near the water treatment works a Hobby was seen.