Sutton Bingham - Wed 26 Oct

Well the rising water levels were not so high that a Lapwing was put off with a single bird settling at the southern end early in the morning. A couple of Stonechats were also seen but that was it during a quick visit before work, so imagine my surprise when a message came through on the WhatsApp group from Ash that a Grey Phalarope was present! Fortunately, I was able to take an early lunch and arrived on site and was rewarded with some excellent views of a patch lifer!

The Grey Phalarope fed constantly during the half an hour I was on site and was still showing until 2pm, but visits later in the day failed to relocate it, so I really got lucky with this one.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 121 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 23 Oct

Back to the patch today after a week away and a quick stop in the morning turned up a drake Gadwall at the southern end with Wigeon and Teal whilst later in the day a female Pintail was also present. A large flock of Linnet and Goldfinch were feeding at the southern end and there were lots of Meadow Pipits present also.

A few Siskin and more Goldfinches were in the car park.

Water levels have risen significantly over the past few days, so unlikely to get any late passage waders now I expect.

Cornwall - Fri 14 Oct to Fri 21 Oct

A week away in Cornwall with the family was relaxing and enjoyable but was somewhat lacking in the birds...not that I was looking for any of course! On our first evening I counted over two hundred Mediterranean Gulls off Porthkernick, and there were Mediterranean Gulls present daily during our week away.
The first full day of our holiday saw us stay local to Portscatho but just up the road we stopped to take a look at a flock of small birds that consisted mainly of Linnets but also a few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits but the highlight was a pair of Cirl Buntings.
A trip to St Just in Roseland produced a Whimbrel, but surprisingly few birds in the churchyard.

Along the coastline Turnstones and Oystercatchers were both pretty abundant.

A trip to Ruan Lanithornes was quite profitable with a couple of Firecrests present and a Common Sandpiper. A look over Gowens Bay turned up to Great Northern Divers and five Common Scoters were seen in flight.

All in all a wonderful week away and really good to recharge the batteries.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 6 Oct

A few brief visits since the start of the month have failed to produce anything of interest, despite lots of exposed mud still, there have been very few birds on patch. This afternoon I spent about an hour and a half on patch checking the reservoir for anything of note. Five Wigeon and a Little Grebe were at the northern end before being disturbed by sailors. The Wigeon relocated to the southern end.

There were also nine Teal this afternoon and plenty of Meadow Pipits. A couple of White Wagtails were on the fringes of West Pool but there nothing else of note today.

Lodmoor RSPB & Portland - Sun 2 Oct

Somewhere different today as myself and the "Usual Suspects" headed off for a day out together, the first time for many years since all five of us could make it. Arriving at Lodmoor we were met by heavy rain but after donning waterproofs we set off anyway and had a good explore of the reserve. An explore of the old tip area drew a blank as we looked for the juvenile Red-backed Shrike that had been in the area for a few days, but in the rain I guess it was not that surprising, so instead we headed down to the reserve proper and checked out the birds present. A few Mediterranean Gulls were noted and on the deck a handful of Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwing. A flock of small waders then flew in, all Dunlin but one which was a Little Stint. Continuing round the reserve we added Kingfisher and then a couple of Ruff. Two Great White Egret was also present. Fortunately, the rain eventually stopped and it soon became a bright and warm morning, so we returned to the old tip location to try our luck again. I somehow managed to find myself separated from the others so focused on finding the location where the Red-backed Shrike was last seen, and I found it! So a quick call to the rest of the gang and before long we were all treated to great views.

We then returned to the car and drove out to Portland It was now a glorious day and the weather was far too good for any passage offshore, which just a few Gannet and a couple of Common Scoters noted. On the land there were a few Rock Pipits and a very smart Wheatear but little else. So after a good wander around we headed back home after a really enjoyable trip out.

After getting back I popped up to Sutton Bingham for a quick look and found a couple of late Common Sandpipers but nothing else of note.