A dull and drizzly morning greeted the eight members who assembled on the banks of the Thames in this showpiece WWT reserve. In truth the weather improved only slightly over the day but the ready availability of hides made for enjoyable birdwatching despite the conditions. First stop was the observatory; a limited number of birds were on show including a grey heron, several pochard, great crested and little grebes and a cormorant fishing close to the edge of the lake. The star sighting though was a female goldeneye that kept viewers on their toes with constant dives. Then it was off to the Dulverton hide where the goldeneye was topped by not one but two bitterns no more than a couple of feet apart on the edge of the reeds across the lake. Other species were limited with a startled flock of thirty-plus lapwings and a few common gulls being the pick. The feeders too were sparsely populated with just a handful of great and blue tits with single of chaffinch and dunnock. The Peacock Tower proved more productive; a juvenile sparrowhawk perched near the sand martin bank allowed excellent scope views. Numerous teal and gadwall grazed across the scrape in the company of shovelers and, surprising for the time of year, only four wigeon. The woodlands around the sheltered lagoon provided a great spotted woodpecker and a feeding flock of finches, mainly goldfinches but a few lesser redpoll too. Lunch near the entrance was enlivened by a flock of thirty redwings accompanied by a single greenfinch in the poplars. The wildside walk delivered a rare view of a Cetti’s warbler; typically several had shouted from concealed perches during the walk but this one recklessly forgot itself and allowed a glimpse of its chestnut plumage and upturned tail amid the bushes. The wildside hide produced final new sighting of lesser black-backed gulls and a green woodpecker on the grazing marsh. One last reward was waiting at the Headley hide; one of the bitterns was now showing there at closer quarters. It proved to be a most enjoyable day with a creditable species list of fifty.