Sutton Bingham - Wed 30 Aug

A very brief morning visit produced a Wheatear on the fence line south of West Pool whilst at the southern end the Greenshank was still present alongside six Common Sandpipers. Nothing else of note today though.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 29 Aug

A pre-work visit today produced a juvenile Arctic Tern on one of the buoys on the main reservoir, always a little distant so no decent photograph but it was great to see as Arctic Terns are pretty scarce on patch, this juvenile is my third this year following two adults in the Spring.

I then took a look at the southern end where the Greenshank was still present along with a couple of Common Sandpipers (there were also two on West Pool when I arrived on site but they flew south down the reservoir so possibly the same birds).

Then I got a real surprise as a flock of nine Cattle Egrets flew south down the arm and kept going, the new largest single count for the site! They were closely followed by the Arctic Tern as that also left to the south.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 27 Aug

A visit in the morning yesterday failed to turn up anything new, but I did get a phone call from one of the Rangers late afternoon telling me he had just seen an Osprey, but I didn't have the chance to go and take a look.

A stop off this morning did produce the Osprey though in flight over the northern end. At the southern end of the reservoir the Greenshank was still present along with half a dozen Common Sandpipers. Six Teal and a female Shoveler were also present but no new birds for the year list again.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 24 Aug

A Little Grebe was new in yesterday but no sign of it today, however, I did finally manage a year tick with a Sedge Warbler present in vegetation at the southern end. Having missed a couple in the Spring I was very much relieved to connect with one. In fact, what was almost certainly a second bird was briefly heard calling nearby. A quick look at the southern end confirmed the Greenshank to still be present alongside a single Green Sandpiper. Common Sandpipers numbered at least ten birds across the site.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 113 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 22 Aug

Nothing any different today. A Cattle Egret was at the southern end briefly before flying north with a Little Egret and the same bunch of waders were feeding at the pool. The Greenshank present still alongside two Green Sandpipers and a dozen Common Sandpipers. There were also six Teal and a pair of Gadwall present. A return visit later in the day did produce a juvenile Coot.

Nearing the final week of August and I've not managed to add anything to the patch year list.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 21 Aug

An afternoon visit today and West Pool played host to an adult and two juvenile Common Terns. Always pretty mobile as terns tend to be, they did occasionally settle on the water or alight on to a buoy.

It was more of the same at the southern end, with the Greenshank and both Green Sandpipers present still and Common Sandpipers had risen to eleven birds.
On the dam wall a single Cattle Egret was showing well.

It really is amazing that I only saw my first Sutton Bingham Cattle Egret in 2020 and yet this year there have been numerous sightings.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 20 Aug

More Wheatear action today with another two on the dam wall, bringing the total this month up to four.

The Greenshank was still at the southern end alongside a couple of Green Sandpipers and two Common Sandpipers. Water levels are finally beginning to drop a little, but it may be too late for any decent wader passage now. There were seven Teal also at the southern end.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 18 Aug

Nothing unusual over the past week, just a couple of Teal of few days ago. Today I had another Wheatear on the dam wall, my second this month.

At the southern end I found a Greenshank alongside a Green Sandpiper and six Common Sandpipers. Two Teal were again present alongside a female Shoveler.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 11 Aug

Yesterday's record count of four Cattle Egrets was broken this morning as I found six in a tree in the north-east corner.

I watched them for a few minutes before they took to the air and flew almost over my head as they passed above the Fishing Lodge and off to the east, what a site!

Sutton Bingham - Thu 10 Aug

A few visits over the past week and to be honest not a lot has been seen, certainly nothing to warrant a blog post, but the few bits and pieces that have been present have included a Coot present yesterday and a Green Sandpiper the day before.
However, today was a little different as my first passerine of the Autumn turned up in the form of a Wheatear present on the dam wall in the morning.

I returned after work as Ash had seen four Cattle Egret together mid-morning. Amazingly they were still present in a private area of the reservoir in the evening, this is my highest single count of Cattle Egret at Sutton Bingham.

A quick look at the southern end produced a few Common Sandpipers but then a real surprise as a juvenile Goshawk flew down the arm and vanished in to trees on the far side of the reservoir. So some pretty good birds today after a very quiet start to the month, shame none of them were new for the year though.