Eleven members joined the leaders on a dull wintry day at Sheepway. The overnight frost kept the ground solid for most of the day and there was a distinct edge to the North Easterly wind. A number of species was logged before the start; along Sheepway were plenty of Goldfinches and Greenfinches, though the latter were easier to hear than see. Thrushes were easily found with five species being added. Fieldfares were not much in evidence but it was useful to find Mistle Thrush, Redwing and Song Thrush close enough for comparison. A number of us were interested to learn of the existence of Dark-throated Thrush – though a long study failed to turn a rather dark headed Song Thrush into a star find! Everyone got to check the Goldcrest and then the first of several rather elusive Bullfinches put in an appearance. There were plenty more seen later but some of us missed them completely. Out of the lane through the fields and onto the sea wall produced the usual suspects. The proximity of the docks provided a constant background of noise making hearing bird calls a challenge. Only the first couple of people onto the sea wall managed to see a reasonable flock of Wigeon before they disappeared. Highlights along the bank were several Reed Buntings and a Stonechat. Distant Curlew and Redshank were the only waders. The tower hide provided a bit of respite from the cutting wind, and added more duck – total eight species. It’s an advantage having an AWT volunteer as one of the leaders. Not only did Giles update us on work on the Reserve but took us into the Sanctuary – normally closed to the public. Giles explained the management of this area – leaving plenty of scrub for the Portbury Ringing Group to work in but opening up the grassland to create meadow for wildflowers and invertebrates. Interesting to see how close the reserve is to the built-up area. Roe Deer and Fox were seen, a welcome addition to the list. This continued to expand back along Wharf Lane to Sheepway but a number of hoped for specialties hadn’t heard that we expected to see them. Despite that a very healthy 53 were recorded. It seemed that everyone had an enjoyable morning. (Thanks to Bob Buck and Giles Morris for leading.) Bob Buck