valentines day 2011 Monday

   Quite a bright day today so Russ Sherriff and I started at the concrete barges where we saw quite a number of the usual Redshanks resting on one of the iconic hulks with a few lapwings and one oystercatcher keeping them company.  Out on the river we could see gulls as far as the eye could see and one Common Sandpiper not as far as the eye could see, nice to see this little wader bobbing it's way along the shore.  Next stop was at the RSPB where we did a clockwise route round the reserve.  Plenty of wildfowl on the scrapes with a few curlew and a good number of Snipe out from the green hide.   A pair of Stonechats were feeding along one of the fences in their usual alternate down and back up fashion.   Back to the centre and the carpark and off to finish the day at Belhus.   Here we saw some of the birds that have been showing well for some time,  the regal looking Red-crested Pochard and the obliging Marsh Tit,  both among the more common of their breed.