Sutton Bingham - Thu 4 Jun

May was a very quiet month on the patch, hence the lack of postings, but there was one late addition which didn't really warrant a full post and that was a singing Reed Warbler next to the jetty at the end of the northern causeway.

Today I only had a few minutes at the reservoir around 1.30pm and with nothing to see at the northern end I went down to the southern end and when I got out of the car I could hear a couple of gulls going rather mad so I rushed out into the meadow and was surprised to see the gulls mobbing an Osprey! I watched for about five minutes before the gulls finally got their way and the Osprey drifted off to the south and was lost from view. I did grab a couple of record shots through my binoculars.

I don't recall ever having seen a June Osprey before, as it's rather late for a Spring migrant so I wonder whether it was a failed breeder heading back south. The only other bird of note during my fifteen minute stop was a Hobby, mind you the weather was pretty poor with some quite heavy rain.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 92 species.

Arne RSPB - Mon 25 May

A trip down to south Dorset today and it was blisteringly hot, with the temperature up around 30°C. A walk out towards Shipstal Point was mainly under the trees, but was also very devoid of birds, with a small number of Bar-tailed Godwits being the pick.

We that took a walk out onto Coombe Heath, where I did see a couple of Dartford Warblers to provide some much needed interest.

All and all it was a lovely day out, though the heat was stifling.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 17 May

Not much opportunity to visit the patch over recent weeks, and the few visits I have made have been very unproductive other than a Hobby on 7 May and a lone Swift passing through before gathering rain clouds on 14 May.

Today there wasn't much of note other than two pairs of Mute Swans, which is a rare occurrence at Sutton Bingham these days. The long-staying pair were still at the southern end but a second pair were present in the north-east corner too this afternoon, so felt that must be worthy of a mention.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 90 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 25 Apr

A brief trip on the way home from work at lunchtime today was not as productive as I had hoped, but a pair of Mute Swans were at the southern end, whether the same pair that were present a week ago or not, I don't know. It's been several years since Mute Swans attempted to breed on the patch, so maybe these two might just give it a go.

There were two Common Sandpipers on the northern causeway and two Red Kites were seen over the south of the reservoir.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 20 Apr

A very quick visit this morning produced five Common Sandpipers in the north-east corner, but the highlight was a Wheatear present on the dam wall briefly and then moved into the horse paddock before I lost it.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 87 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 19 Apr

After a few fleeting visits over the last couple of weeks, I managed a decent chunk of time at the reservoir this afternoon, spending a little over two hours on site. Starting on the northern causeway, there was not that much around but a Coot, the second in five days, was on West Pool.

I then had a look at the southern end of the reservoir but there was no sign of the two Mute Swans that were present yesterday morning, no real surprise there, so instead I headed down to Cotton Bridge for a look around.

The Cetti's Warbler, which is presumably the same bird that was present last year, was back singing, though proved to be typically elusive. Two Mandarin flew over and a pair of Gadwall were an unexpected find.

I then drove round to the Fishing Lodge where a sizeable flock of twenty-eight Common Sandpipers were loitering in the north-east corner and rounded off an enjoyable visit.

Sutton Bingham list for 2026 now at 86 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 14 Apr

A quick pre-work visit produced my first Whitethroat of the year, but there wasn't much else about other than seven Common Sandpipers and a pair of Mandarin.

However, I got a message late morning to say there was a Coot on West Pool, so I popped in on the way home and managed to connect with what is now a scarce visitor to Sutton Bingham.

Sutton Bingham year list now at 84 species.