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.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 5 Nov

A quick visit last Thursday produced a pair of Egyptian Geese and they were still present today, loafing off the northern causeway.

It's been a good year for Egyptian Geese at Sutton Bingham, with these bringing the total number seen on patch up thirteen birds.
Also present this afternoon, a Common Sandpiper in the north-east corner and a Stonechat was also seen. At the southern end there were thirty-two Wigeon.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 29 Oct

A late visit today and again it was terribly quiet with very few birds. Wigeon numbers had dropped to just ten from yesterday's thirty-eight and four Teal were at the southern end. A lone Stonechat was present and finally a glimmer of excitement as two Cattle Egrets flew in from the east, over the dam, and towards the car park with a Little Egret just as I was about to give it up for the day.

This ended up being my final visit of the month to the reservoir and considering October is one of the best months for migration I failed to add a single species to my year list which after a great first half of 2023 has really dried up. Here's hoping the final two months of the year turn up a few new birds.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 28 Oct

I popped in to the reservoir for about half an hour this morning and it was rubbish, nothing of note at all until I got round to the Fishing Lodge where I saw a Common Sandpiper, at last, something to look at. I then checked the dam where, to my surprise, there was a Redshank! Just my second in what has been a terrible year for waders on patch.

There were also thirty-eight Wigeon present.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 22 Oct

Back on patch today after a week away and I started off at the southern end where there were six Teal, four Wigeon and a Gadwall present. I then took a walk round to Cotton Bridge and spent a fair bit of time scouring a feeding flock of small birds but failed to find anything out of the ordinary, with half a dozen Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests being the only notable birds. A Stonechat was also seen as were my first Redwings of the Autumn. Overhead I had a Siskin and a Skylark. So although a few birds were seen today, again, there was nothing new for the year list.

Cornwall - Fri 13 Oct to Fri 20 Oct

A week away from the patch, to be honest there has been nothing of note over the past fortnight other than a pair of Stonechats on West Pool on 5 October and a putative Caspian Gull that flew just as I got on it...very frustrating and one that got away.

Anyway, back to the holiday which was pretty devoid of birds with Gerrans Bay holding no divers or grebes and very few smaller birds seen anywhere.

A seawatch off St Anthony's Head on the morning of 16 October did produce a Cory's Shearwater and a Manx Shearwater along with good numbers of Kittiwake and Gannets.

A trip to Ruan Lanithorne failed to turn up anything much in the way of waders though both Greenshank and Redshank were seen at St Just in Roseland.

Several walks along Pendower and Calne beaches produced a fly-over Ringed Plover in very windy weather and I also had two separate sightings of Choughs, both involving two birds on 17 and 19 October.

So not a lot of birds, but some quality ones thrown in, and a very relaxing and much needed family holiday.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 1 Oct

A good start to the month with some good birds but no new ones for the year list. I arrived in the afternoon and stopping at the northern causeway noted a small flock of eight Egyptian Geese.

Having made a mad dash to the reservoir in early April during a lunch break to twitch one, I've now found a party chilling out together.

I then headed to the southern end, where a single Common Sandpiper and three Teal were present, before checking out Cotton Bridge which produced a sizeable flock of feeding birds but a Marsh Tit was the best of the bunch.

Round then to the Fishing Lodge and I found two Wheatears, continuing the excellent number of records this Autumn (bucking the trend with regard to passerine migrants this year). A single Stonechat was also present to round off an interesting visit to the patch.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 26 Sep

Nothing of note at the reservoir over the past ten days or so, but a Blog post today simply because I had a record count of Mandarin at the southern end of the reservoir with thirty-one birds present. A lone Common Sandpiper was the only other bird of note.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 22 Sep

Another Dunlin turned up yesterday and was still present this evening alongside seven Common Sandpipers. There were five Wigeon and around thirty Teal also at the southern end whilst three Gadwall were on West Pool.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 17 Sep

A brief visit a couple of days ago produced my first two Wigeon of the Autumn but today was much better with an evening visit yielding a Black Tern at the southern end alongside a Common Tern. It's been a couple of years since my last patch Black Tern and with Autumn passage at Sutton Bingham being so poor this year with hardly any migrants it was great to finally pick up a very welcome year tick. Also this evening a Dunlin, whether it's the same bird that was present a few days ago or not, who knows, and a few Common Sandpipers.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 115 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 13 Sep

A quick visit during my lunch break today produced a Dunlin at the southern end with half a dozen Common Sandpipers.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 10 Sep

An evening visit today, arriving at around 5.30pm and there was a nice amount of action for a change with two Cattle Egret dropping in to land on the small pontoon opposite the Canoe Club being the pick of the birds seen. Five Common Sandpipers and a drake Gadwall were at the southern end. A Wheatear was in the field that is on the far side of the road by the Canoe Club and another two were on the dam wall, this is the first time I've seen three separate Wheatears at Sutton Bingham on the same day.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 7 Sep

Water levels are dropping but I fear it's too late for any real wader passage now, but here's hoping. A quick visit on Monday this week did turn up another brief Cattle Egret and a drake Gadwall but little else.
This afternoon a very quick visit in very hot conditions was unsurprisingly devoid of birds with just a single Common Sandpiper seen but two more Wheatears were on the dam wall briefly.

It's been a pretty amazing Autumn for Wheatears at Sutton Bingham this year, with a total of eleven being seen (of which I've seen nine), but there have been very few other passerine migrants.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 3 Sep

After the day out in Devon I thought I had better check out the patch just in case! Two Common Sandpipers were at the southern end, but the Greenshank seems to have moved on after its two week stay. Another Wheatear was present on the dam wall and a Cattle Egret flew up the arm.

South Devon - Sun 3 Sep

A trip out with birding mates today as the usual suspects met up at Darts Farm and headed out to our first stop of the day, Bowling Green Marsh RSPB where we struck it lucky as the tide was in so there was a mass of waders present. Among the numerous Curlew, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and Redshank there were a few different waders.

A Ruff showed pretty well feeding in the grass at the water's edge.

A lone Whimbrel was located amongst the gathered waders.

A few Bar-tailed Godwits were amongst their black-tailed cousins.

About a dozen or so Knot were present, though could blend in with the crowd, this one associating with Redshank and Dunlin.

A single Curlew Sandpiper took some finding, but I managed it!

Other than the waders there was very little around, a Kingfisher flew past and a Pintail was on the pool at the back of the reserve and a Spoonbill flew in, circled the area and headed off north.

After a good peroid of time we decided to head back to the cars and drove on to our second location of the day, Aylesbeare Common RSPB. By the time we arrived it was very hot and there were very few birds around, just a few Stonechats and we did eventually locate three Dartford Warblers. There were lots of butterflies though with the pick being Grayling, Small Heath and a Clouded Yellow.

We then decided to head back towards home and stopped at the Seaton Wetlands reserve, in particular Black Hole Marsh, for a look around. We added Ringed Plover and Greenshank to the day's wader tally but not much else, though a Knot was seen on the Axe estuary.

With the heat and a fair amount of walking now taking it's toll we called it a day and set off for home. Some great birds and some even better company.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 1 Sep

A pre-work visit turned up another Wheatear, this one was on the dam wall, which seems to be a favoured spot for them this year. A Hobby flew over the car I was making my way to the Fishing Lodge whilst at the southern end the Greenshank was still present along with five Common Sandpipers and five Teal. A drake Gadwall was off the northern causeway.
Whilst at work Pete messaged our WhatsApp group to say he'd had a few Spotted Flycatchers at the southern end so during my lunch break I hot-footed it back to patch to try my luck. Fortunately, I succeeded with at least seven being present around Cotton Bridge.

I'd left my 'scope in the car so the above photo was the best I could manage through my bins.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 114 species.

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.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 30 Jul

A few short visits over the week have failed to turn up anything new, though I did have a very brief and distant view of a wader at the southern end on Thursday morning which could only have been a Green Sandpiper, but I couldn't nail it. Anyway, it didn't matter as Pete found one today so I popped along late in the day and had a quick look. Other than the Green Sandpiper there were a couple of Common Sandpipers but the high water levels are putting pay to any decent wader passage.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 112 species.

Arne RSPB - Tue 25 Jul

A day out today and I made my second visit this month to Arne RSPB, I didn't write up a Blog entry for my visit last Sunday as to be honest I didn't really see anything of note. Today I spent pretty much the duration of my visit at the watchpoint overlooking the Middlebere channel and despite the high tide there were still a few birds of note. On the wader front it was quite quiet, though a lone Whimbrel and a couple of Dunlin were notable.

Passing birds did create some interest with two Spoonbills flying past the viewpoint and an Osprey which caused quite a stir. So an enjoyable day out and watching Siskins on the feeders at the café whilst we were having lunch was a nice sight.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 19 Jul

A Reed Warbler was half-heartedly singing at the southern end this morning, very elusive I finally got brief views and it didn't hang around either. Other than that there were five Common Sandpipers and not a lot else.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 18 Jul

Other than a sprinkling of Common Sandpipers and a couple of juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls there has not been much to see at the reservoir over the past few days. This morning I stopped off on the way to work and was surprised to see an adult Cattle Egret on the northern causeway, but unfortunately it flew off as soon as I got out of the car. It did briefly settle in trees at the end of the car park before vanishing.

I was then equally surprised to see an Oystercatcher on the causeway too, always a really good bird to add to the patch year list with usually only one or two annual records.

This particular Oystercatcher was a ringed bird and the report came back to say it was ringed in 2021 at Dawlish Warren.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 111 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 13 Jul

A few brief early morning and even briefer late afternoon visits this week have not really produced much more than a few Common Sandpipers. This morning there was a "new" singing Reed Warbler in vegetation on the side of West Pool. Returning in the afternoon my first juvenile Black-headed Gull of the year (there has been a steady increase in adult birds over the past few weeks) and a very smart juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 8 Jul

Heavy rain for most of the morning but I did get up to the reservoir early afternoon, albeit briefly. I arrived on site just after a fairly heavy shower and parked in the car park. As soon as I got out of the car I could hear a tern calling, a really harsh call at that. Eventually I located two terns flying quite high over the reservoir before they dropped down and flew past the car park towards the southern end...and they were Arctic Terns! I managed some pretty good views in the end but they didn't hang around, as soon as the rain fully cleared they were off.

Sutton Bingham year list for 21023 now at 110 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 7 Jul

A very quick visit this evening and I was surprised to find a Greenshank at the southern end. On the far bank it was a nightmare to try and photograph due to the distance and bright sun, but here's a couple of record shots anyway!

Not a lot else though other than a singing Skylark and three Common Sandpipers.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 109 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 29 Jun

A message on the WhatsApp group in the evening sent me scurrying to the reservoir to try and add Redshank to the year list as Pete had found one on the northern causeway. Late June is spot on for a Redshank on patch, so it was not a surprising find, however, when I arrived it had gone. Just as I was thinking of heading back home, Pete turned up and said it had been flushed and had flown towards the dam, so I hot-footed it round to the Fishing Lodge and fortunately relocated it in the north-east corner, result! I also found two Common Sandpipers on the dam.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 108 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 28 Jun

A late afternoon visit today and to be honest there was not a lot happening, perhaps as one would expect for late June, however, as I was at the southern end I noticed all the gulls going up from the northern part of the reservoir and that got me interested, and within a minute or two an Osprey flew down the arm before disappearing in to a stand of trees, presumably to eat the fish it was carrying. Always a pleasure to see an Osprey, they are such brilliant birds.
The Bar-headed Goose is still loitering with the Canada Goose flock and just for completeness, I did finally add Lesser Whitethroat to the patch list a few days ago with a singing bird near the entrance to the Fishing Lodge.

Yeovil Riverside - Thu 15 Jun

I finally had the opportunity to try and see the Marsh Warbler, that Oli Mockridge found at Yeovil Riverside on Tuesday lunchtime, this evening after work. Basically, I had an hour, so parked up at the sewage works, made the 15 minute walk out to where the bird was and then spent half an hour waiting and watching. I did manage to hear it singing a few times and got a view of it in flight, but nothing like some of the views others have had. Nevertheless, this was only my third Marsh Warbler and my second for Somerset following the Sutton Bingham bird that was present for a single day back in 2020. So basically a twitch tonight before heading off for a meeting!

Sutton Bingham - Fri 9 Jun

A quick visit yesterday afternoon produced a Red Kite and a couple of Hobby sightings, but nothing else. Tonight, I had a call from Rich, one of the Wessex Warden rangers, telling me of a strange looking goose with the Canada Geese so I made an evening visit to the reservoir to take a look. What I found when I arrived, at about 8.00pm, was a very smart Bar-headed Goose.

Obviously an escapee from somewhere, or a feral bird at the very best, it was nonetheless nice to observe something a bit different...and it was an addition to my Sutton Bingham list (albeit under the exotic section)..

Sutton Bingham - Sun 4 Jun

I made a late afternoon visit to the reservoir today, my first visit for a few days, and parking up at the northern causeway I had a scan around and other than a summer-plumaged Black-headed Gull (unusual for the reservoir this time of year) I didn't see anything of note. I then had a chat with Barrie Widden who was also present and he casually said "The Dunlin's still here.". What? Barrie had found it fifteen minutes earlier and posted on our WhatsApp group but I'd missed the message. Lucky he was still there as I would have completely overlooked this unexpected visitor...and it was showing really well too!

The Dunlin was so obliging as it walked the water's edge on the northern causeway and was completely unfazed by the attention it was getting from Barrie and myself. It is also worth noting the Reed Warbler was still in full song at the end of the causeway and a quick look at the southern end produced a rather unusual flock of eight Gadwall!

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 106 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 30 May

A brief morning visit yielded a single Common Sandpiper at the southern end and the Reed Warbler was still belting it out at the northern causeway.

An hour on the patch from 4.00pm did produce something of much more interest as I found myself watching a Goshawk for a good ten minutes. Such an awesome sight.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 105 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 26 May

I'd not had the chance to visit the patch much over the last week so I made the effort to pop up during my lunch break today and arrived at the northern causeway soon after 1pm. I thought I'd scan the area south of West Pool towards Coker Wood as Dave had seen a couple of Hobbies over in that direction yesterday. Scanning the skies I located a large raptor and immediately thought "that's different". Over the next minute or two it drifted closer to me and after getting a good look through the binoculars I grabbed my scope to try and get more detail. I soon had it in the scope and my initial thoughts were confirmed...it was a Honey Buzzard! I watched it for the next five minutes until it finally drifted away to the east and was lost to view. Fortunately I had enough time to clinch the identification, the constant soaring on drooped wings certainly helped along with the protruding head and long tail. I've seen plenty of Honey Buzzards over the years, including migrating flocks of thousands in southern Spain, but this is only my third for Sutton Bingham. I moved down the arm to see if I could relocate the bird but was unable to, however, another quality raptor as a Hobby flew north up the arm affording some excellent views. Apart from these two awesome birds of prey the only other bird of note was a singing Reed Warbler near the small jetty at the end of the northern causeway.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 104 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 21 May

A flying visit early evening produced a Common Tern that flew over the northern causeway and out to the dam where it settled on a buoy, but in the three minutes it took me to drive round to the Fishing Lodge it had vanished, never to be seen again!

Sutton Bingham - Thu 18 May

Ash and Pete were busy posting some good sightings all morning whilst I was stuck at work, but as it was my half day I was able to get to the reservoir in the afternoon, though admittedly not the best time of day to see birds. In fact I missed pretty much everything they saw but did get lucky and heard a Cuckoo that Ash had initially located and was later seen by Pete...though after some discussion it appears there may have been two birds involved.
A Red Kite over the northern end was followed by two more over fields some of West Pool but that was all I could manage in about two hours on site.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 102 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 15 May

Not many opportunities to get to the reservoir over the past week, though a singing Reed Warbler present on Saturday 13 May was new for the year. A very skulking bird, it was singing right in front of me in deep cover and I never did actually see it.

Other than that I've not had much to report other than a drake Gadwall on Sunday evening.

This morning I made a brief pre-7am visit before work and was surprised to find a Tawny Owl perched on a fence halfway along the arm. Viewed using the car as a hide it typically flew off just as I was about to take a photo. Although I hear Tawny Owls at Sutton Bingham almost annually, I've only ever seen a small number, so this was a real pleasure. Two Common Sandpipers were in the north-east corner this morning also.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 101 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 7 May

Pete is having a great run at the moment, today he found a singing Pied Flycatcher at the southern end, the second there this Spring. Despite him calling me soon after he found it, for which I am very grateful, it was nearly two hours before I could get to the reservoir and take a look. After a bit of a walk I found the area that Pete has described and could hear the bird singing, and it sounded as if it was right in front of me...however, it probably took about 15 minutes for me to actually see it, and when I did I got some brilliant views both in the bins and in my scope. It was very mobile, so no chance to get a photo unfortunately, but it was great to just savour the bird, a smashing male in full song. After missing the male last month, this was certainly unexpected. So having finally gotten Pied Flycatcher on my SBR list last Autumn, it's taken a little over six months to see my second for the patch.
A quick return visit in the evening produced a single Common Sandpiper and a pair of Tufted Ducks in the north-east corner.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 100 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 5 May

Having missed a singing Cuckoo earlier in the week (found by Barrie) I thought I was going to miss out again today as Pete found a pair of Pochard on West Pool late morning. I was without my car so was unable to make a lunchtime visit, instead I had to wait until the evening to try and find them. Luckily they were still about, though initially tucked up in the vegetation on the water's edge. Fortunately, the drake and then the duck eventually got a bit lively and swam around West Pool for a bit. Now it was getting dark and they kept to the far end but here's a photo nonetheless.

Pochard is a scarce bird at Sutton Bingham these days so it is always a pleasure seeing them on patch.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 99 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 30 Apr

I did manage an hour at the reservoir on Thursday afternoon in pouring rain, and the highlight by a mile was a Common Tern that dropped in and lingered for about thirty minutes before vanishing.

A few Common Sandpipers have also been around, I had a nice count of eight at the start of the week.

Today a very quick visit did produce an addition to the year list with a Swift over the northern end.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 98 species.

Portland & Weymouth - Sun 23 Apr

Having met up with Steve and John in Yeovil we headed to Weymouth where we picked up the other Steve and set off for Portland, starting with a walk around Reap Lane, Barleycrates Lane and the Avalanche Hump.

The most numerous species initially were Willow Warblers, there seemed to be lots about, but we soon picked up a couple of different migrants when we reached Barleycrates Lane with a super male Pied Flycatcher shortly followed by an equally super male Redstart...thought admittedly these photos leave a lot to be desired.

As we walked towards Avalanche Hump a Marsh Harrier flew over but other than a singing Sedge Warbler there was little else about so we headed down to the Bill.

We walked down to the Bill from the Bird Observatory, a male Kestrel was showing well on overhead wires and one of the Little Owls was in the Observatory Quarry.

A sea watch off the Bill was not that productive, though we did see both Razorbills and Guillemots, a few Gannets and two distant Manx Shearwaters.

Leaving Portland we then headed back to Weymouth via a quick stop at Ferrybridge were we had good views of three Little Terns with some Sandwich Terns plus a few Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits.

Arriving at Lodmoor RSPB we walked around the reserve and were lucky enough to see some pretty decent birds as we wandered along. Three Garganey, including a smashing drake, were nice to see and were probably the pick of the birds. A Great White Egret was a nice sight and I also saw my first Swifts of the year.

All in all a brilliant day out with great company and some excellent birds.