Sutton Bingham - Sun 30 Jan

I'd made a couple of brief visits over the last few days, adding Great Black-backed Gull and Peregrine on Thursday 27 January (and three Mediterranean Gulls were seen...though not a year tick) and then Collared Dove and Pheasant yesterday, but today was pretty good...by Sutton Bingham standards anyway!

There was not a lot in the north-east corner this afternoon, just twenty or so Wigeon (down from 201 yesterday afternoon), but that was almost certainly due to the sailing activity. However, driving round to the northern causeway I found a smart drake Gadwall, always a nice bird to see. A quick check of the southern end produced nothing of note so back to the northern causeway with the intention of checking gulls. Instead I found a drake Garganey on West Pool, presumably the bird that has wintered in the area in previous years. It was with a few Mallards and the drake Gadwall had joined them, surprisingly a Little Grebe was also present. So three decent year ticks in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately the light was pretty poor and the duck were somewhat distance but I still grabbed a couple of record shots.

I didn't really manage as much time on patch as I would have liked this month, mainly due to other demands on my time, but a good visit to round it off.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 63 species.

Greylake RSPB - Sun 16 Jan

A return to Greylake RSPB today and this time I went early, arriving at about 8.45am only to find that the Teal flock that always seem to roost on the stretch of land opposite the hide had not that night and were all out the back of the reserve! There were loads more duck present today though when compared to Thursday's visit, with good numbers of Pintail, Wigeon and Shoveler in with the Teal. Over the next couple of hours the gathered birders, myself included, scanned and scanned the birds out there. A male Merlin on one of the pylons provided a nice distraction at one point and a Great White Egret was also present. Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler were both heard and then after an age the duck took flight and then once they had settled someone found the Baikal Teal. The then offered a look through their scope, but I just couldn't see it, so I left the hide and ran up to the viewing platform where another kind birder let me take a look through his scope, and success, I got it, and a good view too of the wonderful head pattern. Relief at having seen it at last, a total of over four hours spent looking for it but worth the wait. I returned to the hide and my own scope where eventually I got myself on it as it slept. It then awoke and swam around for a short while, giving wonderful if a bit distant views. I grabbed my phone and just as I started to take pictures it went back to sleep, so this is the best effort, a duck asleep! but you can see the vertical stripe on it's side!

After a few more minutes of watching the sleeping Baikal Teal I left and headed for home after a successful mission. What a great bird!

Greylake RSPB - Thu 13 Jan

When news of a drake Baikal Teal on the Somerset Levels at Greylake RSPB broke at the turn of the year there was much discussion as the news had not been shared at the time of discovery, however, it was rediscovered last weekend and this afternoon finally gave me the opportunity to go and see if I could see it, long story short, I didn't!

I made the journey from with my long time friend John and we arrived at the reserve at 1.45pm and made straight for the hide where we spent the next two and a quarter hours searching in vain for the Baikal Teal. So there was a modicum of disappointment having dipped the target bird, yes, but we actually had a pretty decent afternoon of birding.

A pair of Bearded Tits put on a wonderful show just outside the hide and I actually managed to get some recognisable photos, it was just a shame that pretty much every time I pressed the button the male turned his head away from me!

Believe it or not, these were the first Bearded Tits I'd seen for about three years! A Cetti's Warbler also showed occasionally in the same patch of reeds with a Stonechat and Reed Bunting adding to the interest.

At the back of the first scrape a Great White Egret was present and a Marsh Harrier made occasional passes over, but didn't really flush the hidden teal flock, which was a bit of a shame.

We did have a bit of excitement just afternoon 2pm as a Glossy Ibis flew in from behind the hide and after a little fly around settled for a few seconds before disappearing again. A Peregrine was on one of the pylons, a Kestrel flew through, a small gaggle of Greylag Geese were seen in flight at the back of the reserve and a massive flock of Golden Plover took to the air at one point.

I did nip out of the hide to look at a Water Rail that showed briefly in the reeds but by doing so I missed a male Hen Harrier, however, luck was with me on this one as after about ten minutes I relocated it flying away from us.

We had to head back at 4pm and on the drive back to Sherborne we added Barn Owl to the list of what was a very decent afternoon, shame about the rare teal though!

Sutton Bingham - Thu 6 Jan

I had planned a couple of hours at the reservoir this afternoon and after what had been a chilly but fine morning by the time I left the office and headed off it had started raining. It didn't stop me getting out and about but it really did hamper my birding with the constant rain meaning there were few birds around and those that were present were not exactly that obliging.

I did however have a calling Marsh Tit, though it failed to show itself, and a Siskin flew over Cotton Bridge. The Stonechat was again present at the southern end whilst at the other end of the reservoir a single drake Tufted Duck was with the Wigeon flock. A good number of Snipe were on West Pool, with around forty birds flushed.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 54 species.

Arne RSPB - Mon 3 Jan

A family day out today and we headed off to Arne RSPB but not without a brief stop on the outskirts of Dorchester where I was able to connect with the Russian White-fronted Geese that had been present for a week or so.

I counted a total of eight birds and it was a real delight to see them, my first for a few years.

It was then off to Arne RSPB where we started with a walk around Coombe Heath but with the tide in there were very few waders in the Middlebeare channel. Another birder told us of a perched Hen Harrier in a bush opposite the hide, but we arrived a few minutes later to find a Buzzard in the bush!

After a picnic lunch we walked out to Shipstal Beach where we missed one of the Isle of Wight reintroduced White-tailed Eagles that had been hanging around Poole Harbour by a few minutes, however, I found a female Merlin perched up, which was some consolation.

A total of twenty-nine Spoonbills were noted but the rest of the birds seen were pretty routine fair, with very little on the water out in Poole Harbour and few waders present also. However, it was a wonderful day out and I even picked up an adult Mediterranean Gull in the roost at Sutton Bingham on the way home.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 2 Jan

A late morning visit turned up a wintering Chiffchaff in the Cotton Bridge area where at least one Water Rail was heard calling but again there was very little else of note other than a Stonechat and a pair of Mandarin that flew over heading north.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 43 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 1 Jan

A new year and the start of a new patch year list. I spent around an hour at the reservoir this morning but to be honest there was not much going on and the only bird of note and the only reason I'm even doing a blog post was a drake Pintail, though it was rather distant with the Wigeon flock.

I only saw a single Pintail at Sutton Bingham in 2021 so nice to get one on the first day of the year.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 28 species.