A skywatch off the dam between 0715-0915 produced 175 Redwing, 5 Fieldfare, 7 Song Thrush, 763 Wood Pigeon, 5 Stock Dove, 26 Chaffinch, 6 Linnet, 5 Redpoll, 2 Siskin, 15 Jackdaw, 19 Skylark and 18 Starling.

 Only the 2nd Stonechat of the year was infront of the Gazebo hide. 3 Green Sandpiper, 26 Goldeneye, 58 Shoveler and 41 Pochard were the only other note worthy birds around the reserve.

Later in the day 3 of us took the trip to Stains Moor near Heathrow where a Brown Shrike has took up residence for the past week. On arrival the bird performed well on scattered Hawthorne bushes. This is only the 7th record for Britain. Very similar to Red Backed Shrike it shows a shorter primary projection with 5 visible primary tips. Also the outertail feathers are shorter creating a tapered look. The  eye mask is darker and the upperparts less rufous than a Red Backed Shrike.

After leaving the Shrike we called in at Didcot in Oxfordshire to hopefully see the Azorean Yellow-legged Gull that's been present for a while. I saw the bird very briefly last week but wasn't happy with the views.

On arrival, this time the bird was showing very well on a small pool next to the tip. The birds heavily streaked head being the main give away.