Sutton Bingham - Sat 31 Jul

An early morning visit to the reservoir today but again there was not much to see. A Coot was on the northern causeway along with two Common Sandpipers and the (?) juvenile Mandarin. A Kingfisher was seen skimming over West Pool.

From the Fishing Lodge there were two Raven on the dam wall and a Little Egret was feeding in the north-east corner. At least three Great Black-backed Gulls were loafing around.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 26 Jul

Two more juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls this afternoon, both hanging around the northern causeway. A single Common Sandpiper was also present and the juvenile Mandarin was again seen.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 24 Jul

A brief stop early doors was pretty dire and my hopes that the overnight thunderstorms would deposit a host of waders were, as is normal, unfounded! A single Coot was present along with the juvenile Mandarin.

A quick stop on the way home from a family trip was much more exciting though with a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull being present from the northern causeway.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 98 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 22 Jul

Another quick pre-work visit and today it paid off with an Osprey over West Pool being mobbed constantly by a Raven.

A couple of Coots were present in the north-east corner yesterday and a few more Common Sandpipers have been seen over the past few days.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 20 Jul

A few daily visits have only produced a few Common Sandpipers and Kingfishers however, on a hunch, I stopped at the southern causeway on the way to work this morning and flushed a Green Sandpiper...inspired! A female/juvenile-type Mandarin has been present on and off for a few days now too.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 97 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 17 Jul

Despite being on site early in the morning it was already very hot and birds were actually quite thin on the ground. The highlight was a very raggedy looking Red Kite over the reservoir drifting north. The only other decent sighting was of a Peregrine on one of the pylons at the southern end. Two Little Egrets ere also noted.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 15 Jul

A Coot was present on the northern causeway this morning along with a Tufted Duck.

Not a lot else though today with three Common Sandpipers being the only other birds of note.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 14 Jul

A stop on the way to work provided two decent year ticks for the patch. I parked up on the northern causeway and was just checking the Common Sandpipers, a total of ten were present, when I heard a Redshank call, and fortunately I managed to observe it flying low over the water before heading south and out of site. No more than thirty seconds later an Oystercatcher appeared, presumably from the north-east corner, and also headed south calling. That's what I call a good start to the day!

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 96 species.

Arne RSPB - Tue 13 Jul

A family trip down to Dorset today and a decent walk around Arne RSPB. After grabbing a light lunch from the café we set off for a walk out to Shipstal Point but to be honest other there was not a lot around, four Common Terns were about the pick of the birds seen. Around the car park there were plenty of Siskin flying back and fourth and a Hobby whizzed over.
After returning to the car we then walked out to Coombe Heath where there was a little more happening. In Middlebeare Channel I located a lone Spoonbill and then after a few minutes found a further three, no idea where they had come from!

Whilst checking the channel I also saw a Greenshank along with several Curlew and in the distance a flock of Black-tailed Godwit. A Dartford Warbler was heard calling from just in front of where we were standing and eventually provided a very brief view before disappearing in to the gorse, never to be seen again. Highlight was a juvenile Cuckoo that showed really well, though it certainly upset some of the local Meadow Pipits.

Back at the car we took a drive round to Studland but drew a blank with regard to any Ring-necked Parakeets, but did see a Spitfire fly over!

Sutton Bingham - Sat 10 Jul

A flying visit late afternoon to "twitch" a singing Reed Warbler that was found by Pete Akers (he actually had two singing birds along the southern arm but I could only relocate one of them). Present just to the north of the sleeper bridge I had to wait a short while before it started singing but it then did so on and off for a few minutes before I saw it fly in to a willow. It was nice to finally catch up with Reed Warbler as they have not bred on site this year, it was also good to finally be successful in seeing one of Pete's finds especially after missing the Arctic Terns at the end of May by mere seconds.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 94 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 9 Jul

A morning visit before work produced four but possibly as many as six Common Sandpipers but bird of the day, and it's a sign of the times that it is, was a juvenile Coot viewable from the Fishing Lodge. Only my second Coot of the year for Sutton Bingham and obviously they are doing well locally as this bird was certainly not hatched and raised at the reservoir so has flown in from close by.
A return visit in the afternoon produced an adult summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gull.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 7 Jul

An early morning visit before work produced a flock of ten Common Sandpipers on the northern causeway, so a pretty good fall overnight (my first of the "Autumn" was seen on Monday).
However, more surprising was a singing Sedge Warbler in the patch of sallows in the corner of West Pool nearest the railway bridge. It spent pretty much all the time I was there deep in the vegetation and I only caught on brief glimpse of it, but during my visit it was singing pretty much constantly.