Sutton Bingham - Mon 27 Jul

Pete's had a good few days on patch, and today he found a couple more decent patch year ticks, luckily I was able to connect with them both. A Greenshank was present at the back of West Pool but spent much of the time I was there in deep vegetation so I was unable to get any sort of photo of it.

I was more fortunate with a Yellow Wagtail which was present on the fence line just south of West Pool with a couple of Pied Wagtails. It was very vocal and rather mobile and eventually flew south.

Pretty lucky to get another two year ticks today.

Sutton Bingham year list now at 104 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 25 Jul

Just a quick visit on my way home after a family day out and that was only to add Black-tailed Godwit to the year list with Pete having found one mid-morning. Luckily it stayed all day and I had some good, if distant, views of it as if fed at the back of West Pool. Too far away for a decent photo, but I managed a few records shots.

Also present this evening, two Redshank on the northern causeway.

A lone Common Sandpiper was also on West Pool.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 102 species.

Eastleach Downs - Fri 24 Jul

Somewhere different today as I took advantage of a day's annual leave to head up to Eastleach Downs on Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire border for a twitch...my second of the year! It was a fair journey, around 100 miles each way, but I arrived at the field that had been set aside for parking and made the recommended £5 donation before walking out to the area in question. Before long I was enjoying some wonderful views of the Long-tailed Shrike that had turned up a few days earlier.

I watched the bird for about thirty minutes, and managed to see it in bout Gloucs and Oxon. There were few other birds about, not that I was really looking for any, but a couple of Red Kites drifted overhead and a Yellowhammer was noted.

Soon after 1.30pm I headed back home after a successful twitch, and Long-tailed Shrike becomes the eighth species of shrike I've seen in the UK.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 21 Jul

A new bird this morning with an adult Little Ringed Plover at the southern end of the reservoir, unfortunately it was a little distant and whilst it gave great views through the 'scope, my photos are somewhat lacking!

So, a bit of wader passage at last but water levels are still much higher than they were this time last year. Also this morning a single Green Sandpiper (which was also present yesterday morning) and a couple of Common Sandpipers.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 101 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 16 Jul

Not much over the last few days, though an unseasonal Teal was present on West Pool on Tuesday.

A quick stop at the reservoir before work this morning produced a Little Grebe on West Pool, my first of the year on the patch of what is now a rather scarce visitor to the reservoir. It was always rather distant and very jittery, so much so that when I stopped off for a second look, having checked the southern end for birds, I couldn't find it.

Also present this morning, at least seven Common Sandpipers across the site but nothing else of note.

On a hunch, I also stopped off on the way home from work and this proved to be an inspired decision as I found an Oystercatcher, initially on the bank opposite the Sailing Club it flew off north but then banked back round and landed almost in front of me on the northern causeway!

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 100 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 11 Jul

Despite several brief visits over the few days I've not found anything of note, other than connecting with a Black Swan that Pete found on Thursday. I think it's safe to say it's a feral bird from somewhere rather than a genuine vagrant from Australia!

But that changed today with my first Green Sandpiper of the year present at the southern end of the reservoir with four Common Sandpipers.

A rather odd one today too, with a Moorhen having made a nest on the jetty on West Pool, not the safest place to have a nest and I doubt it'll be there for long.

Still not much exposed mud to be seen, but hopefully it'll happen in the next few weeks.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 98 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 7 Jul

Yesterday I finally managed to add Marsh Tit to the year list, with a bird present in trees around the entrance to the meadows at the southern end.

An afternoon visit today was pretty uneventful with a check of the reservoir turning up very little. By chance I happened to check my phone and saw a WhatsApp from Pete saying he had seen two Shelduck on the slipway at the Sailing Club about an hour earlier...it was a good job I saw the message else I would have missed the birds which were luckily still present.

It's always nice to get a Shelduck on the patch year list, and although they were a little distant and mainly obscured by a load of gulls, it was good to see them.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 97 species.