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.