A quick stop on my way home from work on Friday night produced two Little Egrets on West Pool, a new addition to the patch year list, however, they were not present during the hour I spent on patch this morning.
It was bitterly cold and there had been a dusting of snow overnight but not a lot of birds at the reservoir today. Three Mute Swans were seen off the dam whilst just three Teal and a small flock of thirty-six Wigeon were present at the southern end. A Raven and two Siskin flew over and West Pool hosted two Coot.
Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Milborne Port - Thu 9 Feb
A quick trip down the A30 at lunchtime today to try and find the long-staying Cattle Egret that has been hanging around Milborne Port for the last few weeks. I'd tried a couple of times for it but had drawn a blank, however, with a little bit of inside information I had a new place to try and sure enough I found it with sixteen Little Egrets feeding in a field just south of the village and viewable from Goathill Road. Always nice to see a Cattle Egret, and although distant it was clear as day, as the photo below shows...you can even see the yellow bill!
Not a bad bird to get during one's lunch break!
Sutton Bingham - Wed 8 Feb
I concentrated on the southern end of the reservoir this afternoon, primarily the area around Cotton Bridge, and as it happens this was where most of the action was. Although I didn't add anything to the patch year list, I saw some pretty good birds this afternoon.
Three Mandarin were seen in the river at Cotton Bridge before flying north, and a single male Siskin was in song up in the alders. Just three Snipe were seen today, all of which were put up from the water's edge. A Raven passed overhead and a Peregrine buzzed the duck before alighting on a pylon.
On the water there were fifty-four Wigeon and sixty Teal plus a pair of Shoveler (a first winter male and a female).
Finally a Brown Hare was a nice find and three Roe Deer were also seen.
Three Mandarin were seen in the river at Cotton Bridge before flying north, and a single male Siskin was in song up in the alders. Just three Snipe were seen today, all of which were put up from the water's edge. A Raven passed overhead and a Peregrine buzzed the duck before alighting on a pylon.
On the water there were fifty-four Wigeon and sixty Teal plus a pair of Shoveler (a first winter male and a female).
Finally a Brown Hare was a nice find and three Roe Deer were also seen.
Monday, 6 February 2017
Ham Wall RSPB - Sun 5 Feb
A family trip up to Ham Wall RSPB this afternoon and whilst it was a nice walk I left rather disappointed by the birds and the reserve in general. Lots of dog-walkers with their dogs off leads didn't help, and an almost constant ringing of gunfire over the back of the reserve surely helped to contribute to the poor numbers of birds that I saw. In fact, other than a showy Water Rail and a pair of Marsh Harriers there was nothing much to be seen. Just a single Snipe and the expected wildfowl present, and even these seemed to be low in number. Not that sure I'll be heading that way again any time soon.
Sutton Bingham - Sun 5 Feb
I was able to spend a good ninety minutes at the reservoir late morning and I turned out to be a pretty productive visit. Starting at the Fishing Lodge there was not that much about but a male Kestrel was a nice addition to the year list.
I then drove round to West Pool where five Tufted Duck were present, before heading to the southern end of the reservoir. Seven Wigeon and twenty-seven Teal were noted on the water and I then took a walk around Cotton Bridge. As walking along I put up a Woodcock, just my second only record of this species at Sutton Bingham and a great bird to find. Also in the same area a pair of Mandarin. Finally the morning ended with a Raven passing overhead.
Sutton Bingham year list 2017 now at 69 species.
I then drove round to West Pool where five Tufted Duck were present, before heading to the southern end of the reservoir. Seven Wigeon and twenty-seven Teal were noted on the water and I then took a walk around Cotton Bridge. As walking along I put up a Woodcock, just my second only record of this species at Sutton Bingham and a great bird to find. Also in the same area a pair of Mandarin. Finally the morning ended with a Raven passing overhead.
Sutton Bingham year list 2017 now at 69 species.
Sutton Bingham - Sat 4 Feb
A quick stop on the way to work produced nothing of note, but on the drive home at lunchtime I passed a large flock of Lapwing coming from the direction of the reservoir but despite my best efforts by the time I got to "the patch" they had flown on. Despite this I did manage to connect with a flock of sixty-three Lapwing which flew over Goose Slade Farm and on over the reservoir. Always a good bird to get on the year list.
Sutton Bingham - Wed 1 Feb
A fairly quiet visit today, though an adult Great Black-backed Gull on West Pool was somewhat of a surprise.
Duck numbers have dropped off quite a bit, probably due to the higher water levels and local floods causing them to disperse after the recent heavy rain. Just twenty-eight Wigeon, a dozen Teal and four Tufted Duck counted today.
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