Sutton Bingham - Thu 13 Aug

A quick visit before work, as has been the norm of late, and things were looking rather tame with a count of seven Common Sandpipers seeming to be the highlight. I did decide that a quick visit to the Fishing Lodge may be worthwhile, and as it happens it was. There were two Egyptian Geese loitering with a number of Canada Geese. Rather distant on the pit of land opposite the Sailing Club, but always worth a record shot.

With nothing else of note to be seen, it was off to the office.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 107 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 11 Aug

Another quick pre-work visit this morning and it was very quiet other than a total of nine Common Sandpipers, eight of which were at the southern end. I then had a look at the dam and found a Wheatear, a rather nice surprise.

I'd been in the office for about two hours when I got a message from Pete to say that he and Dave had just found a juvenile Cuckoo feeding at the southern end. After a couple of hours, I managed to get out during my lunch break and was lucky enough to connect with the Cuckoo.

I enjoyed watching the bird for about ten minutes before I had to head back to the office. My first patch Cuckoo for a few years and the first I've actually seen for as long as I can remember.

Sutton Bingham year list now at 106 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 10 Aug

A little bit of interest today with two Redshank present below the car park, though a little distant and the light was awful, but I felt I had to get a record shot anyway.

I was hoping for a bit more wader passage, but whereas it was nice to see the Redshank I was hoping for something new for the year list.

There was also a very smart juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on the northern causeway.

The southern end is showing more mud now, but still very little variety with half a dozen Common Sandpipers present this morning and another was on West Pool.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 8 Aug

It's been very quiet on the patch over the last week or so, though a Great White Egret was present last Wednesday and a Green Sandpiper hung around for a few days.
There wasn't much of note today either, but a Yellow Wagtail, epic photo below, was present today.

It's always nice to see a Yellow Wagtail on the patch, just a shame the image doesn't do it justice.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 3 Aug

A few fleeting visits over the past few days have not produced anything new, though a couple of Sedge Warblers were present on Saturday.

A brief visit before work this morning did turn up something new, with a Whinchat present along the arm. However, just as I was about to get a photo it was flushed by a couple taking a walk and I was unable to relocate it.

Also this morning, there were four Common Sandpipers and two Green Sandpipers at the southern end, and another Common Sandpiper on West Pool.

The vegetation along the water's edge held a few birds, with at least one Sedge Warbler present along with a few Whitethroat and Chiffchaff.

Finally, the White-tailed Eagle which has been at the reservoir on and off for a few weeks was again present this morning in a willow opposite the southern causeway.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 105 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 29 Jul

The Greenshank was still present at the back of West Pool, and I did manage a distant record shot of it today.

Also today, a small number of Common Sandpipers still and a Coot was off the northern causeway.

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.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 5 Jul

Another quick visit this afternoon as Pete had found a White-tailed Eagle earlier in the day. Fortunately, it was still lingering when I arrived and I had some decent views of it from the southern causeway.

This was a male bird, number G709, released in 2024 as part of the Roy Dennis reintroduction scheme. Interestingly, it was the second White-tailed Eagle at the reservoir in the past ten days, with a different bird seen on 25 and 26 June.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 4 Jul

There were five Common Sandpipers present yesterday but I couldn't find any today during a brief visit. Water levels are still dropping but are higher than this time last year, which is odd considering the lack of rain and high temperatures, so I'm hopeful the coming weeks might bring in some passage waders.

There was a Tufted Duck on West Pool and two Kestrels were on a pylon at the southern end. The only other bird of note today was an adult Mediterranean Gull that flew in from the south and kept going.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 29 Jun

I have only managed a couple of brief visits over the last few days, but other than a couple of Common Sandpipers I've not seen anything of note (though a White-tailed Eagle from the Roy Dennis reintroduction program was seen briefly on Thursday evening and Friday morning, but not by me!).

This morning I made a quick visit before work and found two Redshank on the northern causeway.

I then took a look at the southern end where a Kestrel was seen hunting over fields on the opposite site of the reservoir. I then had a real surprise as I could hear a Sedge Warbler singing! I was fortunate enough to see it very briefly a couple of times but it was pretty skulking in the waterside vegetation.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 95 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 21 Jun

It's been really quiet on patch recently, with very little of note other than a lone Common Sandpiper on 15 June plus a Red Kite through with four Swifts yesterday.

Today was a real scorcher, but I decided an early evening visit may be worthwhile, and so it turned out with a Redshank on the dam.

Pretty much bang on time for the reservoir, Redshank are often seen in late June.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2026 now at 94 species.