Sutton Bingham - Thu 30 Sep

Since the weekend I've dropped in to the reservoir a few times and it's been pretty much the same with regards to the birds present each time I've been on site. The Great White Egret has been a permanent fixture on West Pool and was still present today whilst at the southern end a couple of Green Sandpipers have been about as well as a Common Sandpiper. Teal numbers have been creeping up with thirteen on site today and Wigeon have increased to seven birds. Three Snipe were seen earlier in the week and a single Little Grebe was off the northern causeway, but in dreadful weather neither species were seen today.

Let's see what October brings, but with the site being closed whilst work is undertaken in and around the car park until the New Year, it could prove to be difficult adding much more to the year list...but let's hope not!

Sutton Bingham - Sat 25 Sep

A call from Pete this morning and a quick trip to the reservoir to finally connect with a patch Great White Egret this year. It's about time one turned up, and I'd been expecting one for the past couple of weeks.

No time to look for anything else but the target bird successfully twitched.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 112 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 24 Sep

A lunchtime visit and after several other brief visits over the past few days there were a few more birds on offer today. The southern end was where most of the action was with a couple of Wigeon and seven Teal showing that winter is on the way. That being said, there were still two Common Sandpipers and a single Green Sandpiper present. A couple of Kingfishers were present along with a Grey Wagtail.

A return visit at the end of the day produced a Snipe and a lone Little Grebe. Pretty much nothing different from the birds seen over the last week.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 19 Sep

A few visits during the last couple of days had failed to produce much, but a couple of Wheatears on 15 September were big brutes and are surely good candidates for Greenland Wheatear.

A little bit of wader excitement today though as I initially missed a call, whilst I was in church, from Pete Akers this morning telling me of a Spotted Redshank at the southern end of the reservoir, hasten to say as soon as the service was over I hot-footed it to Sutton Bingham, family in tow, to try and see the bird...and see it I did! It really was rather distant, feeding in the muddy area in the far southern corner. It's been a few years since my last patch Spotted Redshank. Herewith the obligatory record shots.

It wasn't all good news though, as despite seeing the Spotted Redshank I missed a Water Rail that had been seen briefly a few times in a similar area (and a two hour return visit later in the evening also failed to find this much-needed patch year tick).

There were also a couple of Green Sandpipers today and I got up to four Common Sandpipers across the site. A lone Teal was off the dam in the evening whilst earlier in the day the first Wigeon of the "Winter" was present. A Tufted Duck was still at the southern end and appeared to have either a damaged or pinioned right wing...which may explain why it's still here. Finally, as evening set in three flocks of Mandarin flew in, totalling eighteen birds, and the three Little Grebes were still about.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 111 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 14 Sep

It all kicked off late morning when I received news of a juvenile Black Tern at the reservoir, found by Guy Campbell (thanks Guy!). Fortunately I was able to take an early lunch and arrived on site soon after midday and was eventually treated to some lovely overhead views after having settled for distant views when I arrived as it was flying around off the dam. Eventually, after two failed attempts, it gained height and headed off. Luck was with me on that one. Whilst watching the Black Tern a small group of three waders flew in from the south, rather distant it was hard to get a positive ID, my gut feeling was Dunlin but they will have to go down as "not sure" but a fourth wader joined them and that was identifiable, a Ringed Plover! I scooted round to the other side of the reservoir to see if these waders had landed and whereas I failed to relocate them I did find two Curlew!

Also during my lunch break today, a Wheatear and a Common Sandpiper...so not bad at all for a little over thirty minutes on site.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 110 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 12 Sep

A pretty decent late afternoon visit today with the highlight being a Blue-headed Wagtail present with half a dozen Yellow Wagtails and a number of Pied Wagtails in a private area of the reservoir. This is the second Blue-headed Wagtail I have found at Sutton Bingham, both being Autumn birds...it would be great to get a nice Spring one!

A flock of thirty Linnets were in the same area.

At the southern end a Green Sandpiper was present along with a Teal and two Mandarin.

Near the Canoe Club a lone Coot was present and a female Tufted Duck was also seen. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was on the northern causeway and three Common Sandpipers were noted.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 107 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 11 Sep

A very quick visit before work produced a flock of seven Mute Swans which flew in from the north, did a quick check of the reservoir, decided they had seen enough and then flew back north. Singles of Teal, Common Sandpiper and Kingfisher were the only other notable sightings today, but a lone Wheatear was present last night.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 9 Sep

A few brief visits over the past few days have produced a few birds of note, with three Little Grebes present on Tuesday and a Green Sandpiper yesterday being the pick.

A visit this afternoon turned up the Green Sandpiper again at the southern end and at least four Common Sandpipers were also present. A nice flock of eleven Mandarin were also present in the same area along with two Teal.

From the northern end a Greenshank was heard calling, but I failed to see it, but a juvenile Common Tern showed very well (there had been a fairly good passage of Common Terns passing through the reservoir earlier in the day, so I was glad one lingered).

A single Yellow Wagtail was present and a Raven was also noted. Little Egret numbers had risen to seven birds, the highest count this year.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 5 Sept

I had a bit of free time this evening so spent nearly two hours at the reservoir. The southern end held a Little Grebe near the sleeper bridge and a couple of Teal were present along with seven Mandarin. Four Common Sandpipers were scattered over the reservoir whilst ten Mistle Thrushes were in the field south of West Pool.

A nice young Grey Wagtail was present in a private area.

Finally, three Yellow Wagtails were also seen loitering with the Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtails.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 4 Sep

A nice fall of fourteen Yellow Wagtails in a private area of the reservoir this morning but other than that just a couple of Common Sandpipers and a rather obliging Lesser Whitethroat were seen.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 3 Sep

Early morning on patch and another (or possibly last night's) Whinchat was present.

Other than that it was fairly quiet with three Common Sandpipers and a group of nine Mistle Thrushes. A Kingfisher was, rather aptly, by the Fishing Lodge.

A quick lunchtime trip and two Little Grebes and a Shoveler were present at the southern end.

Finally, a patch year tick during a stop on the way home from an evening out as at least two Tawny Owls were calling by Bingham Bower Farm.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2021 now at 106 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 2 Sep

Another pre-work visit to the reservoir this morning and the field south of West Pool held ten Mistle Thrushes and a brief Wheatear which flew from the field, over West Pool and was lost to view. Three Common Sandpipers were present and there were also singles of Teal, Kingfisher and Mandarin. A return visit on the way home from work produced a Whinchat.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 1 Sep

August finished with very little on the bird front, just a couple of Common Sandpipers plus a Peregrine and a lone Mandarin seen in the final couple of days of the month.
September, however, started pretty well as I made a very brief stop on the way to work and found two Whinchats on the fence line south of West Pool, an area they really do seem to favour. As always a little distant, but I had to grab a record shot anyway.

As I started to head off I saw a bird drop on to the northern causeway and a fine Wheatear was on show.

So nothing new for the year list but a nice little haul before the day started.