A good turnout of 41 walkers on this very foggy and chilly day headed out along the Severn Way for 500m before returning. Walking to the Severn Way and passing some houses, we observed the typical birds in the hedgerows including Goldfinches. Scopes and tripods ready we arrived at the information sign for the start of our morning field trip. We had a great high tide at 10:46 (12.34 m). Initially, the estuary had poor visibility with the “new” M4 bridge barely visible, but this improved over time with the M48 bridge eventually making an appearance. The saltmarsh “is an international service station for migrating and wintering shorebirds. The mudflats and saltmarsh of the Severn estuary provide valuable food and a site to rest, more than 240 species have been recorded here”. Walking along the top of the sea defences we could look over the estuary and mudflats to the north and wetland pools and reed beds to the south. Redshanks on the edge of the rising tide Shelduck, Shoveler, Wigeon and Gadwall easily spotted in groups in the mist of the mudflats. We were then pleasantly surprised to see a flock of Sand Martins flying over us. The final count recorded to BirdTrack, concluded we had seen 51 species. With the bird of the day possibly seeing the Little Gull which fluttered around for a while showing very well. Finally, many thanks to Jane for leading the trip. Vernon Holmes