Sutton Bingham - Tues 25 Aug

I had today booked off as a day's holiday and we were deciding what to do in the way of a family walk mid-afternoon when I got a text from Oli Mockridge telling me that he had found an Arctic Tern at the reservoir, so that sorted out where we were going for our walk!

Within ten minutes I was watching the tern with Oli and Bob Buckler but after studying it for several minutes I had to call the bird as a Common Tern. The bill was too long and darkened toward the tip, the legs were also too long and too light in colour, and the primaries were grey in flight with no obvious translucency. To be fair on the others, they agreed and we all ticked Common Tern, another new bird for the patch year list.

Leaving the lads I headed down to the southern end as they had told me a few waders had dropped in. Before long I was looking at three Ringed Plovers alongside a Dunlin and presumably yesterday's Little Ringed Plover.

The Ringed Plovers were my second patch year tick of the day (I had missed four that dropped in for a couple of minutes yesterday morning, found by Pete Akers). I also saw four Common Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers and three Teal.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2020 now at 109 species.