Sutton Bingham - Sun 31 Dec

Well having not visited the reservoir much recently due to other commitments, moving house and work taking up far too much time, I did pop up to Sutton Bingham today to see if I could add any last minute year ticks, I couldn't. The "best" birds on offer were a pair of Gadwall off the northern causeway, nothing else of note at all today. The Wigeon flock was at the southern end and numbered just thirty-two birds, I guess floods on the Somerset Levels mean there are less wildfowl elsewhere.

So 2023 finishes with a whimper, it's been a terribly poor Autumn and early Winter on the patch with just eight species added in the second half of the year, my worst ever return for that time period. That being said, I added a new bird to the patch list, with the Forster's Tern back in April and also had just my second Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler for the patch, throw in a couple of rare raptors with Honey Buzzard and Goshawk and it makes for a decent year in parts. I did have some gaping holes in the list this year having missed Kestrel, Whinchat and Yellow Wagtail amongst others (eleven species missed in total this year that other observers had seen).

So that's it for another year, and it will all start again tomorrow. Happy New Year to you all and I wish you a prosperous and joy-filled 2024.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 116 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 11 Dec

A quick stop on the way home form work in what now seems to be typically dismal weather produced two Cattle Egrets roosting in trees below the car park and viewable form the northern causeway. Amazing that what was once a very rare visitor to the school (my first was only in 2020) is now becoming fairly regular, but I guess it's not that surprising given the massive increase in numbers in Somerset over recent years.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 7 Dec

I suppose I should apologise for the lack of Blog postings over the past month, but it's simply down to the fact that I've not had much opportunity to visit the reservoir and when I have there has been nothing of note to see. November was a terribly quiet month for me, with occasional sightings of a Common Sandpiper and the long-staying pair of Egyptian Geese being about it.
My first December visit, in pouring rain, did turn up a real patch scarcity today though, with a drake Goldeneye present at the northern end. Get this for a record photo:

I've seen very few Goldeneye at Sutton Bingham, this being just my fourth (and second drake), so it was a real joy to find it.
Sutton Bingham year for 2023 now at 116 species.