Sutton Bingham - Fri 7 Apr

An early afternoon visit added a couple of new birds to the year list with a male Blackcap and two Willow Warblers feeding around the outflow stream. Nothing else to report today though.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 85 species.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 6 Apr

Something amazing happened on patch today, I got a lifer! Sitting at work there was a message from Pete on the WhatsApp group that he had a distant first-winter Sandwich Tern, a great bird for Sutton Bingham. Over the next half an hour or so Pete realised it wasn't a Sandwich Tern and eventually identification was confirmed that it was in fact a Forster's Tern! Fortunately I was able to get over to the reservoir and managed to connect with a truly marvellous bird.

I didn't have long to linger on site, but having had my fill of my first ever Forster's Tern I was more than happy, a bird I'd long wanted to see and to get one on my patch was just unbelievable. What a bird, what a day!

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 83 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 5 Apr

A couple of quick visits since returning from Cornwall had failed to turn up anything but that all changed this morning as I found an Osprey during a quick stop on the way to work. Initially seen briefly in flight it alighted in a tree opposite the bottom of the car park, enabling some wonderful 'scope views.

Having watched the Osprey for a while I needed to head off for work, but did pause to check West Pool where my first Coot of the year was present. Not a bad start to the day.
Later in the morning I got a WhatsApp message telling me that whereas the Osprey was no longer present, an Egyptian Goose had flown in and appeared to be settled at the southern end. So taking a slightly early lunch I set off and got lucky as the Egyptian Goose was still present.

I watched it for about five or so minutes during which time it was very vocal. It then took to the air and flew off north, so I got really lucky with that one. I also picked up my first Swallows of the year with at least four over West Pool with a number of Sand Martins. All in all a very good day on patch.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 82 species.

Cornwall - Fri 24 Mar to Fri 31 Mar

Cornwall in the last week of March and whereas I was on a family holiday I was still hopeful of getting in a bit of birding. The weather over the course of the week did limit us somewhat, but despite that I was able to get out and about and take the opportunity to see what birds might be around. As it happened, I saw little in the way of Spring migrants, just a singing Chiffchaff or two, an unidentified hirundine that whizzed past our accommodation before I could get my bins on it.
A couple if visits to Ruan Lanihorne were actually quite disappointing this holiday, despite timing my visits for low tide I only saw a single Greenshank and a couple of Redshanks on the wader front. A few Wigeon were lingering and several Shelduck were present.
Seawatching off Pendower beach and Portscatho provided the most interest. The former site producing good numbers of Great Northern Divers and Black-throated Divers plus a lone Fulmar gliding across Gerrans Bay and small numbers of auks, mainly Guillemots but at least one Razorbill. Portscatho turned up a few more Great Northern Divers but more interestingly a couple of Slavonian Grebes and four Black-necked Grebes, including some in nearly full summer plumage. A couple of Mediterranean Gulls were with fifteen Sandwich Terns on rocks at Portscatho one afternoon.

A visit to Towan beach, primarily for a cream tea, did turn up eight Kittiwakes and three Sandwich Terns offshore as well as another Great Northern Diver.

All in all a much needed relaxing break, and it was wonderful spending time with the family after a manic few weeks at work, and to round it off a Cirl Bunting was singing somewhere out the back of our accommodation.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 19 Mar

A very quick pre-work yesterday stop turned up my first patch Chiffchaff of the year and my first Sand Martins were seen last Thursday but a lot more excitement this afternoon as I found myself with a bit of spare time so made a visit to the reservoir. After having brief views of an interesting gull on the northern causeway (2cy Caspian Gull was my initial thought but it flew as I got out of the car and was quickly lost to view), I scanned West Pool where a small white bird was sat on the water. I thought it was worth a better look so got the 'scope on it and was amazed to realise it was an Avocet! Always distant and in poor light, I did get some photos.

Only my second Avocet at Sutton Bingham, my only previous one being on exactly the same date, 19 March, back in 2018. This one was obviously fairly happy swimming around rather than searching for food and fortunately many of the local Sutton Bingham birders connected with before it departed.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2023 now at 78 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 13 Mar

Still little opportunity to visit the patch over recent weeks, with a pair of Gadwall seen a few days ago during a very quick stop being the only birds of note. A visit this evening on the way home from work did produce what was presumably the Cattle Egret that has been present on and off most of the winter. It was roosting in trees below the car park with seven Little Egrets.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 8 Mar

A quick lunchtime visit to the reservoir today produced a Great White Egret halfway along the arm, always a nice bird to find at the reservoir, and much better views than the roosting bird I found earlier in the year.

Not a lot else today other than a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls and a Raven. Although numbers have dropped off significantly over the past weeks, there were still sixty-five Wigeon still present.