Sutton Bingham - Wed 31 Aug

A quick morning visit produced a lone Black-tailed Godwit on West Pool, the second bird must have moved on overnight. A Little Ringed Plover was also on West Pool and six Common Sandpipers were dotted across the site. There were also twelve Teal, with four at the southern end and eight off the Fishing Lodge.

A quick stop early afternoon on the way home from work turned up twelve Yellow Wagtails that flew in to West Pool to bathe and drink before heading to the cattle field just to the south of West Pool.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 116 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 30 Aug

Today was slightly better on patch as a total of four Little Ringed Plover were present, three at the southern end and one just off the northern causeway.

There were also two very obliging Black-tailed Godwit on West Pool.

So a few waders still about, just need to turn up a scarcer one next and try to connect with some of the passerine migrants. Hopefully I can get back on track and get out of this slight dip.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 29 Aug

Although it was a bank holiday today I was tied up all morning which turned out to be a real shame as I missed a Redstart that was found mid-morning. A two hour search later in the day drew a blank...so another patch dip.

I did see a Whinchat and had a calling Tree Pipit but that was little consolation and I did also get good views of a Marsh Tit and two Clouded Yellows were seen.

 To add insult to injury, I also missed two Yellow Wagtails that turned up after I had left the patch. August started well but I've missed a lot of birds in the past ten days. 

Sutton Bingham - Sun 28 Aug

A quick look before work this morning produced three juvenile Little Ringed Plovers at the southern end.

The Black-tailed Godwit was also present and there were still a small number of Common Sandpipers around the reservoir.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 26 Aug

Yesterday's Black-tailed Godwit and two Little Ringed Plovers were still present.

However, the pick of the birds was a Tree Pipit heard calling at the southern end of the reservoir near Cotton Bridge. A welcome addition to the path year list, especially as I had missed a couple earlier in the week.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 115 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 25 Aug

I have made several visits over the past few days but other than a high count of fifteen Common Sandpipers, a couple of Green Sandpipers and the long-staying Wood Sandpiper there has not really been enough of interest to warrant numerous posts, though a Ringed Plover was present on Monday.

Today I had a fairly productive visit before heading in to work with three Shoveler in flight over West Pool before they headed off to the east and Teal numbers had crept up to ten birds.

On the wader front a Snipe was seen but there was no sign today of the Wood Sandpiper which has moved on after a prolonged stay (the last day I saw it was yesterday).

A return visit later in the day produced a very smart juvenile Black-tailed Godwit which must have dropped in during the morning.

Two juvenile Little Ringed Plover were also present.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 21 Aug

A massive disappointment last Friday, 19 August, as a Grasshopper Warbler was found but despite a two hour search for it I failed. This would have been a patch tick so I was pretty gutted. Other visits over the past few days have not turned up anything different with the Wood Sandpiper remaining but that has been it. Today I did add a new bird for the patch year list with a very smart Wheatear being present in a private area of the reservoir near the Fishing Lodge.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 114 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 18 Aug

An early visit today proved to be very productive though the northern end was pretty quiet with just two Common Sandpipers.

At the southern end the Wood Sandpiper was still present with twelve Common Sandpipers and two Ringed Plover.

I then made my way back to the car park and had a quick stroll around, a nice mixed flock of feeding birds failed to produce anything different but two Mute Swans were on the water just as I reached the first wildflower meadow.

I then had a bit of a surprise as a small flock of nine Redshank flew south calling before returning to the north where I lost them to sight. This is my highest single count of Redshank at Sutton Bingham. To round the morning's visit off I also heard a Greenshank call but was unable to locate it.

So a very decent visit this morning even though there were not any additions to the patch year list.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 17 Aug

With Wessex Water carrying out maintenance work on the northern causeway it was pretty much devoid of interesting birds at the that end of the reservoir this morning, except for a lone Common Sandpiper on West Pool, so I made for the southern end where there was a bit more happening.

A second adult Ringed Plover had joined what was presumably the bird that has been here for a couple of days.

The Wood Sandpiper was also still loitering and showing quite closely at times.

A total of nine Common Sandpipers were also present along with two Green Sandpipers. The recent rain has had little impact on the low water levels, at least so far, but there was noticeably more water flowing in to the southern end of the reservoir this morning.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 16 Aug

The overnight rain did produce a Coot but nothing of any real interest. Common Sandpipers had increased in number overnight with sixteen present and the Wood Sandpiper was still on West Pool. At the southern end the Ringed Plover and a Green Sandpiper were also lingering.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 15 Aug

A pre-work stop was worthwhile as Pete messaged me to say he had found a Sedge Warbler, a bird he knew I needed for the year. Fortunately he helped me stake it out and after a thirty minute search it finally gave itself up and afforded excellent views.
Ten Teal were at the southern end with a single Green Sandpiper and eight Common Sandpipers plus a Snipe was seen in flight. Yesterday's Wood Sandpiper was still on West Pool.
A return lunchtime trip produced two Whinchat south of Cotton Bridge, another great find by Pete.

Two Wood Sandpipers were present on opposite sides of the northern causeway (I missed the second one earlier in the day) and a couple of Green Sandpipers were seen. what appears to be a "new" Ringed Plover was seen flying in by Ash mid-morning and was still at there during my visit.

So another profitable day today and another two additions to the year list, thanks to Pete's help.

Sutton Bingham patch list for 2022 now at 113 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 14 Aug

Another early morning visit today and again it paid off with a Ringed Plover at the southern end of the reservoir, another new bird for the year list.

A little more interest with a Black-tailed Godwit viewable, albeit a little distant, from the northern causeway.

There were also seven Common Sandpipers scattered across the site.
A message later in the day meant a return visit in the evening to see a Wood Sandpiper that Pete had found on West pool, so my second new wader today. Despite some wonderful views the light was always a little poor to get the type of top quality images you are used to.

Another look at the southern end whilst on site produced two Green Sandpipers and two Teal (a third dropped in at the north end for about ten seconds before flying west). This morning's Ringed Plover was still present.
So another decent day on the patch today.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 111 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 13 Aug

An early morning visit turned up trumps with a patch lifer in the form of a Pied Flycatcher! Number One on my most wanted list for Sutton Bingham I have finally nailed one of these beauties. It was associating with a Spotted Flycatcher at the southern end along the hedgerow opposite the gateway past the southern causeway, but was always rather distant...nevertheless I grabbed a couple of photos for posterity.

After the excitement of the Pied Flycatcher everything else was going to pale in comparison and all I could find was a single Green Sandpiper and six Common Sandpipers.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 109 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 12 Aug

I went back for more White Stork action this morning, it seemed rude not to.

A quick look around the rest of the reservoir failed to turn up anything else of note.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 11 Aug

A quick stop on my way home last night at 9.00pm produced a Greenshank at the southern end but this evening there was a lot more excitement as a flock of thirty-one White Storks appeared at the back of West Pool, so I simply had to pop over and take a look.

Unfortunately these were not genuine "wild" birds but were part of the release scheme based at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex and were captive bred for the project. All the birds were colour ringed, though they were too distant to read. So not a year tick but a wonderful sight nonetheless.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 8 Aug

A stop before work this morning produced a very smart Dunlin feeding on the water's edge at the southern end, however, it didn't hang around and soon took to the air and flew strongly south.

There were still seven Common Sandpipers across the site and a return visit in the afternoon turned up a Snipe at the southern end.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 6 Aug

The two Little Ringed Plover lingered until the 1 August but since then there have been very few birds at the reservoir. A mid-morning visit today produced a Greenshank that was present at the northern end for a while before it took flight and was lost to view. Other than that just half a dozen or so Common Sandpipers were seen today.