Ham Wall RSPB - Thu 1 Jan

A trip up on to the Somerset Levels this afternoon and walk out to the second viewing platform at Ham Wall produced a few things, but considering it was less than a week since my last visit there were some glaring omissions! Two Great White Egrets were seen, one from each of the viewing platforms, and a small flock of Greylag Geese flew in to the area in front of the second viewing platform. The commoner wildfowl were present, though still not in massive numbers. A couple of Cetti's Warblers were heard, as were at least two Water Rail. I headed back to the car just as the hordes arrived to view the Starling murmuration!
UK list for 2015 now at 44 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 1 Jan

I only managed a quick thirty minute trip to the patch this morning, but I managed to see twenty-five species during this short visit. Nothing that out of the ordinary, just a pair of Wigeon and a drake Tufted Duck off the dam and a Kingfisher did a fly-past. Other than that, it was routine fair, but a steady start to this year's patch list.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 31 Dec

So my final visit to the patch for 2014, and I managed about twenty minutes after work which just about gave me time to scan the gull roost. I picked out four Mediterranean Gulls amongst the masses, three adult birds and a second-winter. Not much else of interest this evening, though a flock of 103 Wigeon were off the dam. A nice little visit to round off what has been an enjoyable year concentrating on Sutton Bingham rather than travelling far and wide for year ticks.
Year list for 2014 now at 205 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 29 Dec

I managed to get to the reservoir late afternoon and was able to check out the gull roost. A single adult Mediterranean Gull was located, but the pick was an adult Yellow-legged Gull. A couple of Kingfishers were seen and thirty-six Wigeon were off the dam.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 28 Dec

A visit during the afternoon produced five male Bullfinches, I didn't see any female birds amongst them, feeding in trees at the Canoe Club, and three Shoveler (two drakes and a duck) were with half a dozen Wigeon at the southern end.
There were very few gulls present today!

Ham Wall RSPB - Sat 27 Dec

With the excesses of Christmas over and done with for another twelve months, it was a trip up to the Avalon Marshes this morning and a visit to Ham Wall. Making use of the very smart new car park I walked out to the second viewing platform, seeing a small group of four Lesser Redpolls feeding in alders along the way. Form the second viewing platform I saw two Marsh Harriers but surprisingly few wintering duck.
Walking back to the first viewing platform a Bittern provided us with a very fine fly-by view and was certainly the highlight of a quiet but enjoyable visit.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 23 Dec

A flying visit on the way in to work produced a pair of Raven and a Meadow Pipit flyting over West Pool and a Kingfisher perched in one of the small trees that over hand the water.
Returning later in the day I had a bit of time available so checked out the southern end of the reservoir, an area I'd been ignoring of late. Two Water Rail were heard calling and fifteen Snipe were flushed from the water's edge. A flock of around seventy Teal were keeping company with twenty or so Wigeon but were very flighty and almost impossible to scan fully for anything different.
I then set off for the northern end of the reservoir and checked out the gull roost. I could only find a couple of Mediterranean Gulls tonight so decided to pop across to the dam to see if anything was loitering in that area.
From the dam a further eighty-nine Wigeon were present but the only other bird of note was a single Kingfisher, and with the light nearly gone it was time to go home.