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.