Weather: Mild, bright but overcast, just after rain. From 11am.
From the wall, scanning the whole reservoir: Mute Swan, Coot, Tufted Duck, Great-Crested Grebe, Mallard, Cormorant, Common Tern, Grey Heron, Moorhen.
More unusually: Ruddy Duck, a couple of males; Pochard, one or two; Teal again a couple on the mud & on the banks in front of the hide.
Further along the wall: Pied Wagtail, juveniles; good numbers of gregarious & chatty Lapwing; Black-Headed Gull, Canada Goose.
In the wall-side hedgerow: Woodpigeon, Wren, Robin, Goldfinch; a yellowhammer singing, but not seen.
Into the small woods: flitting Goldcrest & Great Tit.
Taking up position in the hide: Gadwall, then after a few scans of the whole reservoir I picked out Red-Crested Pochard in eclipse plumage, easily identified by its bright red beak, & one of the birds I had hoped to see on this visit after reading the latest sightings on the website.
As I was about to leave the hide a heavy shower came down so I waited it out, & after it finished it triggered some activity: a Common Sandpiper skimmed the water & perched on a distant bank; then a fellow birder alerted me to a couple of Green Sandpiper which had flown up & out of their previous, hidden position to alight on the edge of the reeds, where they foraged before again moving out of view. A much darker bird than the common, a slightly dumpier, & marginally less active & 'dipping', & also a new species.
No sooner had the 'green sands' moved out of view than I picked up a Kingfisher perched on a fence post, again on the edge of the reeds. It preened for a while allowing me to take some digiscoped shots before it flew off. The first time I've seen one perched & not more usually zipping along & away from view in an instant.
The other birder then alerted me to a Red Kite floating over the car-park; a Crow flew across the reservoir onto a tree & as I scanned the area I again picked out a kingfisher. For a brief instant it was joined by another then one even dove into the water before it sat on a overhanging branch, before again flying out of view. Really good views!
I reluctantly set off for the car park, hoping to pick up a little owl in a dead tree that the other birder also tipped me off about, but to no avail, although I did see Swallow & Kestrel overflying.
Another excellent excursion & mission accomplished for a couple of target species (red-crested pochard & green sandpiper).
33 species, 1 new.
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