Sutton Bingham - Wed 16 Oct

A female Stonechat was a most welcome addition to the patch year list this afternoon. Not much else about other than a fly-over Skylark and Meadow Pipit plus the small flock of eleven Wigeon and a single Tufted Duck.
Sutton Bingham year list 2019 now at 112 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 13 Oct

A Common Sandpiper was seen today, presumably the same bird I had seen earlier in the month, though I guess it could be another late migrant passing through. Three Swallow passed through early morning.
A return visit later in the day was slightly more productive, with eleven Wigeon in the north-east corner with a single Teal. Two Shoveler flew in from the east with Mallards and headed north and Canada Goose numbers were up to ninety birds. Eight Meadow Pipit and around seventy Pied Wagtail were milling about on and around the dam.

Longham Lakes - Thu 10 Oct

An afternoon twitch, my first for nearly a year, and I got lucky with some great views of an American Black Tern that had been present at Longham Lakes for a few days. The bird afforded some wonderful views as it hawked for insects over the water just a few metres from the shore. Always mobile getting a phot was going to be difficult with a hand-held mobile against my 'scope, but I managed a few...one even shows the characteristic "dirty" sides diagnostic of American Black Tern in this plumage.

No time to really look around the lakes as I needed to get back, but the target bird was safely ticked off!

Sutton Bingham - Thu 3 Oct

Surprisingly the Great White Egret was still present, having been at the reservoir for three months now (as it happens this would be the last day I was to see it). Like recent visits over the past week or so there was not a lot of note with six Mandarin at the southern end, three Wigeon, a Kingfisher and a single Common Sandpiper still. A few Meadow Pipit flew through as did three Linnet. A Raven was near the water treatment works.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 26 Sep

Not much to report over the last week or so, more of the same in actual fact, though a flock of eight Collared Dove on Sunday 22 September was notable.

With lots of rain over the past few days it was hardly surprising that water levels had shot up, leaving no mud for any late passage waders. That being said there were still four Common Sandpiper on site and the Great White Egret was still present. The southern end held six Teal and two Mandarin and a Lesser Whitethroat was a nice find.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 20 Sep

The first Wigeon of the autumn were present today, with three at the southern end. A single Tufted Duck was also new in whilst three Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper were also noted.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 19 Sep

A Wheatear on the dam wall was the pick of the birds today. A flock of thirty or so Pied Wagtail and four Grey Wagtail were in the same area with four Linnet.

The long-staying Great White Egret was still present and four Common Sandpiper were noted as well as a single Snipe. At least a hundred Swallow were over the reservoir and two Mandarin were seen.