Sutton Bingham - Tue 6 Sep

A lunchtime visit today in the hope that some terns may have dropped in, and sure enough there were ten Common Terns viewable from the northern causeway! Despite checking them carefully through the scope there was nothing different amongst them.

At the southern end there were still plenty of waders present with both Dunlin and both Black-tailed Godwits present alongside five Ringed Plover and four Little Ringed Plover and a couple of Common Sandpipers. Also at the southern end a good number of Yellow Wagtails with at least seventeen present though getting an exact count was tricky as the moved in and out of the taller vegetation. A Clouded Yellow was also noted.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 5 Sep

In what was likely to be my last early morning visit for a while I didn't really check the northern end due to time constraints so made straight for the southern end where I noticed two egrets on the far bank and one smaller than a Little Egret! Sure enough, on closer inspection I had found a Cattle Egret. I managed to grab a few record shots before it took off, gained height and headed north. Unfortunately it was not seen again.

This is now my third Cattle Egret at Sutton Bingham in the last three years. With numbers increasing in Somerset it's almost at the stage that one would expect to see one over the course of the year, but that being said it's still great to see one on patch.

A return visit in the evening was also rather productive with a nice mix of waders at the southern end, mainly those that were present yesterday, with two Dunlin, two Black-tailed Godwits, four Ringed Plover, six Little Ringed Plover and four Common Sandpipers.

West Pool held a female Shoveler which had dropped in during the course of the day.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 118 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 4 Sep

Only a quick stop this afternoon before heading in to work but it was pretty profitable with a nice gathering of waders seen today. The Black-tailed Godwit was still on West Pool whilst at the southern end there were four Ringed Plovers, four Little Ringed Plovers and two Dunlin. Also present a single Snipe and four Common Sandpipers. So six species of wader on patch this afternoon.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 3 Sep

A busy day today but I did manage to get to the reservoir mid-afternoon for a good look around for an hour or so. The Black-tailed Godwit was still frequenting West Pool but not much else on show at that end of the reservoir so I headed to the southern end to check that out. A juvenile Peregrine caused a bit of a stir as it drifted through whilst on the mud there were three Little Ringed Plovers...it was amazing how inconspicuous they became when the Peregrine flew by as they hunkered down and merged with the ground.

I then decided I'd take a quick look around Cotton Bridge and as it happens this turned out to be a good decisions as I found a female Redstart flitting along the fence line. To my surprise there were also five Whinchats and two Spotted Flycatchers on the same fence, and then, amazingly, I found a male Redstart.

Unfortunately I only had my bins with me having left my scope in the car so this was the best I could manage of the moulting male Redstart.

I've only seen three Redstarts at Sutton Bingham before today of what is a very scarce bird on patch, so two in one day (and just a few days after Ash found one - that I missed) shows that you can never guess what is going to turn up.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 117 species.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 2 Sep

A pre-work visit produced the Black-tailed Godwit which was still on West Pool with a Common Sandpiper but the Little Ringed Plover that was still on West Pool yesterday appears to have moved on.

The southern end of the reservoir held a couple more Common Sandpipers and a Ringed Plover.

A check of some of the hedgerows and treelines turned up three Spotted Flycatchers, continuing the recent trend this year after several years where they have been almost absent, and a Marsh Tit.

Returning later in the day there were two drake Gadwall amongst 156 Mallard viewable from the northern causeway.

A single female-type Mandarin was also seen.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 31 Aug

A quick morning visit produced a lone Black-tailed Godwit on West Pool, the second bird must have moved on overnight. A Little Ringed Plover was also on West Pool and six Common Sandpipers were dotted across the site. There were also twelve Teal, with four at the southern end and eight off the Fishing Lodge.

A quick stop early afternoon on the way home from work turned up twelve Yellow Wagtails that flew in to West Pool to bathe and drink before heading to the cattle field just to the south of West Pool.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2022 now at 116 species.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 30 Aug

Today was slightly better on patch as a total of four Little Ringed Plover were present, three at the southern end and one just off the northern causeway.

There were also two very obliging Black-tailed Godwit on West Pool.

So a few waders still about, just need to turn up a scarcer one next and try to connect with some of the passerine migrants. Hopefully I can get back on track and get out of this slight dip.