It was a warm sunny day with a light north-easterly breeze. 20 members met opposite Hinton Blewitt church and walked through the villages of Hinton Blewitt and Coley to the reservoirs. There were all the usual birds around, plenty of nesting House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Starlings, Wrens, Jackdaws and House Martins and Swallows. We saw a Mistle Thrush carrying food to its chicks. The water levels were high on the lakes. Two families of Mallard had young, Coots were nesting and a pair of Great Crested Grebes had a youngster riding on the parents’ back and being fed fish by its father. There was a dabchick but no Wagtails, Herons or Cormorants. We saw two Sparrowhawks flying high over the reservoirs and several Common Buzzards as well. A pair of Shelduck were perhaps unusual in this area. Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen and heard. The usual route back was surprisingly muddy which meant some detours and scrambling up the banks. We did add Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Yellowhammer to the list. The green lane was good for butterflies including Brimstone, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood. It was an interesting walk of just over five miles with a total of 43 species seen. (Thanks to John and Sue Prince for leading.) Sue Prince.