Sutton Bingham - Sat 17 Aug

A quick visit to day produced a female Tufted Duck in the north-east corner, a very well marked individual.

A pair of Gadwall were off the northern causeway whilst a Green Sandpiper and two Common Sandpipers were also present.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 15 Aug

Despite a few decent birds this week has been frustrating as I've missed four year ticks, Pete had Greenshank and Ringed Plover fly through yesterday and Ash had a fly-through Sandwich Tern and a pair of Shoveler this morning. I've missed something like fifteen species so far in 2024, not good.

Hasten to say, the Shoveler had vanished by the time I got to the reservoir this evening despite a decent search. That's twice I've missed this species this year. However, I did have a Wheatear fly from the dam wall and vanish to the south and a single Common Sandpiper was on the dam itself. Other than that, there were two Coot off the Fishing Lodge.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 13 Aug

Just over a week after the family group appeared at the southern end of the reservoir, a lone Shelduck was off the northern causeway this morning!

Very little else of note during a quick visit with the waders at the southern end having all appeared to have cleared out and just three Common Sandpipers off the Fishing Lodge.

A return visit later in the day produced a couple of Common Terns off the dam.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 12 Aug

A pre-work visit produced five Green Sandpipers at the southern end, viewable from the road a the bottom gate is still locked unfortunately. Six Common Sandpipers were present from the Fishing Lodge and two Coot were in the same area.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 7 Aug

A quick stop, as is the norm of late, on the way home from work to day and luckily I was able to find the Wheatear that Pete had found earlier in the day. It's taken a while this year, but that finally brought up the century!

Sutton Bingham year list for 2024 now at 100 species.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 5 Aug

A very quick visit before work turned up a surprise in the form of a family group of Shelduck at the southern end.

It's been a few years since my last patch Shelduck, so this was a welcome addition to the year list.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2024 now at 99 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 4 Aug

An early morning trip to the reservoir today and it turned out to be pretty productive, bucking the recent trend of disappointing visits. I arrived on site and made the northern causeway my first stop, within a few minutes an Oystercatcher flew in from the north and briefly alighted on the causeway before a Grey Heron spooked it and off it went again, heading south.
I then popped round to the Fishing Lodge where half a dozen Common Sandpipers were bobbing about and the Oystercatcher flew back in, circled the northern end and then vanished never to be seen again!
No access to the southern end as the gate was closed as the meadow is scheduled to be cut soon, but I did stop at the car park and walk partway down the reservoir towards the Canoe Club. A Sedge Warbler was in the vegetation on the water's edge and a Hobby flew overheard, rounding off an enjoyable ninety minutes on the patch.