After dropping Ellie off at choir practice I popped up to the reservoir for three quarters of an hour to see what was about. I headed straight to the hide and set up my scope to scan the area, flushing four Mandarin from the water's edge.
Before long I had picked out five Common Sandpipers and two Green Sandpipers. Another wader caught my eye feeding at the extreme southern end in the small pool that has formed there. Unfortunately, the light was not brilliant and the bird did not give very obliging views. However, eventually, I finally got a sight of it's back and saw the charactistic marking that confirmed it as a Common Snipe...and not some rare vagrant!
A female Tufted Duck was also present at the southern end, and the four Mandarin I had seen when I first arrived joined two more birds and were sat up on the bank with numerous Mallards.
A quick look over West Pool produced nothing, though several Swallows were feeding above the reservoir.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Sutton Bingham - Wed 1 Sep
After last night's excitement I popped up to the reservoir before work, arriving at about 7.30am at the field where the storks had been present. It was rather misty and there was no sign of the birds, so I drove on down to the reservoir to check it out.
On West Pool a single Green Sandpiper was present but nothing else of note so I went on down to the hide. From here I saw an Osprey preening itself in a dead tree on the opposite side of the reservoir near the canoe club hut, though by the time I had passed the news on to a fellow birder it had flown.
With time getting on, and knowing I had to be at work at 8.30am, I headed off and checked out the field opposite Goose Slade Farm one last time when I had a phone call from a mate of mine, Lee Evans, asking if I had an update on the White Storks. Lee had received a pager message that the brids were still present, but I had left my pager at home so didn't pick it up. The birds had apparently relocated to a field nearer the reservoir, and before long I had tracked them down. As I watched the White Storks I was surprised as a Hobby flew through!
A pretty good morning at the reservoir.
On West Pool a single Green Sandpiper was present but nothing else of note so I went on down to the hide. From here I saw an Osprey preening itself in a dead tree on the opposite side of the reservoir near the canoe club hut, though by the time I had passed the news on to a fellow birder it had flown.
With time getting on, and knowing I had to be at work at 8.30am, I headed off and checked out the field opposite Goose Slade Farm one last time when I had a phone call from a mate of mine, Lee Evans, asking if I had an update on the White Storks. Lee had received a pager message that the brids were still present, but I had left my pager at home so didn't pick it up. The birds had apparently relocated to a field nearer the reservoir, and before long I had tracked them down. As I watched the White Storks I was surprised as a Hobby flew through!
A pretty good morning at the reservoir.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Sutton Bingham - Tue 31 Aug
I popped up to the reservoir after work today, arriving at about 5.45pm, as an Osprey had been seen early morning. Unfortunately, the bird was nowhere to be seen, and the southern end of the reservoir produced just a Green Sandpiper in the way of interest. Outside of the hide I bumped in to Ivan Tinsley, the Wessex Water warden, who mentioned that he had seen a stork fly over the road opposite Goose Slade Farm just up the road. Despite Ivan's exciting news (and as I'm a born sceptic) I thought that I'd take a look over the reservoir proper first.
From the northern causeway there were four Teal and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again present, showing well on a buoy.With not much else about, I decided to check out Ivan's news and drove back to Goose Slade Farm and parked in the layby opposite, got out of the car, and looked in to the field...and could not believe my eyes as two White Storks were feeding in front of me! After the initial shock, I quickly phoned Rare Bird Alert and then made numerous phone calls to various Somerset birders! The birds were still present when I left just before 8.30pm, and I did manage to get a few record shots using my mobile phone:
UK year list for 2010 now at 204 species.
From the northern causeway there were four Teal and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again present, showing well on a buoy.With not much else about, I decided to check out Ivan's news and drove back to Goose Slade Farm and parked in the layby opposite, got out of the car, and looked in to the field...and could not believe my eyes as two White Storks were feeding in front of me! After the initial shock, I quickly phoned Rare Bird Alert and then made numerous phone calls to various Somerset birders! The birds were still present when I left just before 8.30pm, and I did manage to get a few record shots using my mobile phone:
UK year list for 2010 now at 204 species.
Horner Wood - Mon 30 Aug
Ellie and I spent the morning with my brother and his family, and my parents, at the Quantock Show at Cothelstone before heading off on our own to north Somerset for an afternoon walk.
We drove straight up to Horner and parked the car and followed the river up through Horner Wood. In lovely afternoon sunshine we walked for a mile or so up in to the valley. Along the way we had hoped a few of the typical summer woodland species might still have been around, but alas there was very little on the bird front. However, we were lucky enough to get a couple of flight views of a Dipper before finally seeing one feeding in the stream.
On returning to the village we decided we had better have a cream tea after all that exercise and around the tea room gardens we saw a Silver-washed Fritillary, a Meadow Brown and two Speckled Woods, and some great views of a Holly Blue:
UK year list for 2010 now at 203 species.
We drove straight up to Horner and parked the car and followed the river up through Horner Wood. In lovely afternoon sunshine we walked for a mile or so up in to the valley. Along the way we had hoped a few of the typical summer woodland species might still have been around, but alas there was very little on the bird front. However, we were lucky enough to get a couple of flight views of a Dipper before finally seeing one feeding in the stream.
On returning to the village we decided we had better have a cream tea after all that exercise and around the tea room gardens we saw a Silver-washed Fritillary, a Meadow Brown and two Speckled Woods, and some great views of a Holly Blue:
UK year list for 2010 now at 203 species.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Cogden Beach - Sun 29 Aug
Another day of showers but we decided to head for the coast in the afternoon and drove down to Cogden Beach, some three or so miles east of Bridport for a walk in the sea air. There was not a lot happening on the bird front, but a single Wheatear was seen on the beach, and a Stock Dove flew through heading west with a Woodpigeon. Out to sea there was little to be seen, though a distant Gannet flew by and a couple of Razerbills zoomed by heading east as did a Fulmar. Going in the opposite direction two Sandwich Terns hurried by close inshore. As we returned to the car we saw a Common Whitethroat skulking in the bushy vegetation.
On the butterfly front we saw only a single Small Heath, but in the winding conditions that was hardly surprising.
On the butterfly front we saw only a single Small Heath, but in the winding conditions that was hardly surprising.
Sutton Bingham - Fri 27 Aug
Ellie and I took a brief afternoon stroll from the car park along the reservoir as far as the hide and then back again. There was not an awful lot to see, though we did flush three Common Sandpipers near the Canoe Club hut. A couple of Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were feeding in the waterside vegetation and and a single Reed Bunting was also seen. West Pool contained nothing of note. 
Several Common Blues were on the wing as were a couple of Meadow Browns:
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Sutton Bingham - Wed 25 Aug
A visit before work this morning in pretty steady rain was surprisingly productive.
Two Common Sandpipers were on West Pool, and a third was on the shoreline below the hide.
Most of the action was from the hide, as a female Mandarin and three ducklings swam past, probably a second brood. A Tufted Duck flew up from the water's edge and out of site, and also on the wildfowl front, two small ducks flew quickly up the reservoir heading north looking very much like Garganey but the view I had was hardly good in the pouring rain.
Two Common Sandpipers were on West Pool, and a third was on the shoreline below the hide.
Most of the action was from the hide, as a female Mandarin and three ducklings swam past, probably a second brood. A Tufted Duck flew up from the water's edge and out of site, and also on the wildfowl front, two small ducks flew quickly up the reservoir heading north looking very much like Garganey but the view I had was hardly good in the pouring rain.
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