Sutton Bingham - Tue 16 Jul

A quick pre-work visit this morning produced the first Green Sandpiper of the year along with a couple of Common Sandpipers.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2024 now at 98 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 15 Jul

A week after the last one, there was another Oystercatcher on the northern causeway this morning, a slightly more sleepy individual than the one that was here last week.

There was nothing else of note this morning, though I had a count of thirteen Common Sandpipers over the weekend.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 8 Jul

A few recent visit have turned up very little other than returning Common Sandpipers in varying numbers and a Great White Egret on West Pool.

This morning however I had something a little more interesting with an Oystercatcher on the northern causeway.

I missed a couple of Oystercatchers that were present briefly a few weeks back, so I was pretty pleased to connect with this one.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2024 now at 97 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 26 Jun

I had a bit of time before work this morning and given it was late June I figured there must be the chance of a Redshank, so I made straight for the Fishing Lodge and checked out the north-east corner...nothing. I then 'scoped the northern causeway and amongst the gathered gulls and ducks could see two smaller birds, with red legs, nailed it! A quick drive round to the northern causeway and some great views of a couple of Redshank.

Late June has always tended to be a good time for Redshank at Sutton Bingham, and so it has been again this year.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2024 now at 96 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 22 Jun

A Mute Swan in the north-east corner this morning is such a scarcity on the patch nowadays that it's worth a blog posting! Nothing else of note in a very quick pre-work visit.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 20 Jun

I missed a pair of Egyptian Geese and two Oystercatchers yesterday morning that Rich the Wessex Water ranger messaged me about, they had gone by the time I reached the site at lunchtime, rather frustrating. A quick stop on my way home today produced a Great White Egret on West Pool but that was it. June has been typically quiet so far, and unfortunately I've missed the couple of decent birds that have dropped in.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 6 Jun

No prolonged afternoon visit today as I had to work through my "afternoon off", but I did get up to the reservoir for a short visit over my lunch hour. A juvenile Coot was on the northern causeway, just my second for the year of this now scarce visitor to the patch.

Also on the northern causeway there was a juvenile Mandarin whilst over the reservoir two Red Kites drifted through.

A number of Canada Geese were new in on the lawn in front of the Fishing Lodge, and amongst them a goose which I had down as a hybrid Greylag Goose x Swan Goose (though some comments on the image I posted on Twitter suggest it could be a pure Swan Goose).

Either way, it's an interesting looking bird and certainly not one I've seen at the reservoir before.