Sutton Bingham - Sun 27 Feb

Another late afternoon visit today and I made straight for the Fishing Lodge to check the Wigeon flock and see if anything else was about but other than loads of Redwings feeding in the fields behind the dam and a calling Raven it was very quiet. I then got a message from Pete saying a first-winter Iceland Gull was showing from the northern causeway, too distant to 'scope from my location (and against the light) I ran to the car and drove round, arriving less than 3 minutes after getting the message only to see Pete with his head in his hands as I got out of the car, it had flown off. Ironically if I had stayed at the Fishing Lodge I would probably had seen it in flight. Not another patch dip! After it became obvious it was not going to drop back in I went back to the Fishing Lodge as Pete had last seen it fly towards the north-east corner before he lost it, but a scan of the gathered gulls drew a blank and with Sunday dinner in the oven I drove home having missed another scarce gull at Sutton Bingham this year.

Just after dishing up I got a call from Pete saying the Iceland Gull was back, so leaving the family to eat dinner and throwing mine in the oven I headed back and made straight for the Fishing Lodge where according to Pete's info I should get a better view as it was very distant from the northern causeway. Just as I arrived all the gulls went up and what followed was a manic few minutes as I tried to find it whilst talking to Pete on the phone.

Eventually I got lucky and over the next thirty minutes or so got some decent views, albeit in deteriorating light.

And here's one of the above images that I managed to brighten up a little bit.

What a relief! I've been lucky enough to find four Iceland Gulls at Sutton Bingham over the years and it is such a scarce bird on patch I would have been gutted to have missed it, but thanks to Pete's help, I was successful.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 72 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 26 Feb

I managed a little under an hour on site on Saturday afternoon and after a quick stop on the northern causeway to chat to Dave Chown, and see a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, I made for the southern end and a look around Cotton Bridge. Whereas I didn't see too much a Marsh Tit put on a bit of a show and a flushed a single Jack Snipe along with half a dozen Common Snipe, so another year tick and another good visit.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 71 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 25 Feb

A quick morning stop before work did produce my first patch Song Thrush of the year with a singing bird opposite the entrance to the church. A return visit after work was slightly more productive as whilst I was chatting on the phone Pete, who arrived soon after me, interrupted to tell me a Little Gull had just dropped in, well that made up for missing Monday's bird. Always a little distant I managed a few classic record shots!

I didn't have time to hang around for too long, but I enjoyed the Little Gull and at least five Mediterranean Gulls for a good ten minutes before I had to head off. Pretty thrilled to get that one on the year list as it's been a few years since my last patch Little Gull.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 70 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 22 Feb

A quick morning stop on the northern causeway was rewarding with a sub-adult Peregrine causing all sorts of mayhem with the gulls. I was treated to some cracking views of the Peregrine as it passed low over the car at one stage. Also this morning, a patch year tick in the form of a Kingfisher.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 68 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 21 Feb

I was late leaving work tonight and as it happened that cost me massively as I arrived on site less than a minute after Pete had watched a Little Gull fly off. Another miss and again by seconds...talk about bad luck. Twenty or so Mediterranean Gulls were noted but were not much compensation and I did get one year tick with a fly-over Feral Pigeon so it wasn't a completely wasted stop!

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 67 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 13 Feb

A quick afternoon visit after poor weather in the hope that something may have dropped in, but I failed to find anything more unusual that three Gadwall amongst the Wigeon flock, which numbered some 270 birds. Three Mediterranean Gulls were also noted and a Jay was new for the year list.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 66 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 10 Feb

Back to patch this afternoon for my first proper visit for a while and I started off at the Fishing Lodge where a single female Shoveler was amongst over three hundred Wigeon (the highest count for quite some time). Three Mute Swans were also a new bird for the year list but there was not much else in the way of variety but good numbers of Great Created Grebes and Cormorants were present.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 65 species.

Mere Down and Fonthill Bishop - Thu 3 Feb

After a failed trip ten days ago (though I did see a dozen or so Tree Sparrows at Stourton) I returned to Mere Down this afternoon for another attempt to see the over-wintering Snow Bunting. Arriving at about 1.40pm I walked out to the favoured site and had a good search, but it was without reward, though I was treated to some cracking views of several Corn Buntings.

Overhead a small flock of seven Gold Plover and at least eight Red Kites were noted. I decided to walk on up the track a little further and was nearly bowled over with surprise when I put the Snow Bunting up from nearly under my feet! Over the next thirty minutes I enjoyed the company of this excellent little bird.

Leaving Mere Down I had time to head on to Fonthill Bishop and I look at the lake and to try and catch up with the small flock of Hawfinches that had been in the area. Unfortunately I was unable to find the Hawfinches but the lake held good numbers of wildfowl with the pick being eight Goosander and a drake Mandarin added a splash of colour.