SUTTON BINGHAM RESERVOIR AND LODMOOR, WEYMOUTH
WEATHER; a good period of bright sunny weather.
Sutton Bingham
The water level of the reservoir is very low this summer and as a consequence a lot of mud and rocky banks are currently exposed. Over the last few weeks we have had a number of waders drop in, none of them stay for very long and some just fly through. In recent weeks we have had Black-tailed Godwit, Common Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and up to 15 Common Sandpipers, also Oystercatcher and Ruddy Turnstone.
Wood Sandpiper at Sutton Bingham Reservoir
Ruddy Turnstone at Sutton Bingham
Over the last week my birding mojo has returned, I have made several visits to the Reservoir at Sutton Bingham. The main draw was a Wood Sandpiper which stayed with us for a couple of weeks. A Great White Egret has also been present, this species was a 'mega' just a couple of years ago, the same goes for Yellow-legged Gull, an adult bird has taken up residence at the moment.
Yellow-legged Gull at Sutton Bingham
During one of my recent visits I came across a Ruddy Turnstone which turned out to be only the second record ever at Sutton Bingham, the local patch-watchers were over the moon when I put the news out on the local WhatsApp Group, they all got to see it.
Lodmoor
Yesterday I spent several hours at Lodmoor, the sun was shining and I took a very slow walk around the square shaped path that surrounds the main lagoons. Most of my time was spent on the northern path, looking from the raised path along Southdown Avenue. I searched the two main pools that are visible from the road, they known locally at the "Blue House Pool" and "Post Box Pool".
The Post Box Pool at Lodmoor
I spent most of my time scanning the Blue House Pool and there I saw 5 Green Sandpipers, 2 Wood Sandpipers, a Water Rail, 3 Teal, 4 Little Egrets, 1 Great Egret, 3 Grey Herons, 3 Lapwing, Moorhens, Coots, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and a female Bearded Tit that came out from the reeds and fed on the muddy shoreline!
Wood Sandpiper at Lodmoor
Green Sandpiper - Blue House Pool Lodmoor
The Post Box Pool had more species: Mute Swan, Great Cormorant, Canada Goose, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Green Sandpiper and a single Dunlin.
two Wood Sandpipers and Green Sandpiper - Lodmoor
I walked the complete circuit around the reserve where I saw many more species, mainly gulls and Terns. Sandwich Tern 1, and Common Terns 20+, dozens of Mediterranean Gulls, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls. Black-tailed Godwits were also present along with at least 4 Common Sandpipers.
Common Sandpiper Lodmoor
Sandwich Tern
Cattle Egret. Little Egret, lapwing, Common Sandpiper and Black-headed Gull - West Track Lodmoor
Juvenile Water Rail - Blue House Pool
Black-tailed Godwit - West Track Lodmoor
Oystercatcher and juvenile Common Tern
Common Terns (note not all Common Terns have a black-tip to the bill)
Passerines seen in the scrub and hawthorn bushes included Common Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and not much else.
I was at Lodmoor for five hours and enjoyed every minute of it.