** Bough Beech Reservoir.**

Today was the day that I paid a long overdue trip to Bough Beech KWT. I kept reading that there have been various waders seen there, so I thought I would go and see for myself.
Pam and I arrived at about 11.30. When we arrived there was a birder there who looks as though this was his patch, he certainly looked at home there. I took a look over the hedge to see dozens of Canada Geese preening, arguing, as the do, it was hard to ignore then, the noise they was making.
I was about to take my scope across the road to check out the shallow water when this guy, I wish I had asked him is name, came over to me and suggested that I stay where I am and scope the area to the left of the main water. I did this  and I found the bird he told me about, a WOOD SANDPIPER looking very dapper. Whenever I see one I always have a good long look at it because I have no idea when I will see another one, there are very few of these birds seen passing through. Well that made my day straight away.
I crossed the road after a while and immediately got the "ol bins" working. The first wader spotted was one I wanted to see, my first this year, a GREEN SANDPIPER, except there wasn't just 1 but 3. The next species of wader seen was another sandpiper, COMMON SANDPIPER, 5 of them. While I was looking around counting them I should have also been looking up, sky watching.  Again if it hadn't been for the same birder calling out to me I would never have seen my favourite bird drifting around, and at one point directly above the car. The bird in question *** RED KITE ***(yesss) what a bird, words cannot do it justice, I was in my element. After that, I don't think anything could have upset me. There was a small bonus that came with it, there was a Common Buzzard bringing up the rear. Then it was back to see what species I could add to my days list. My full list is as follows: RED KITE...COMMON BUZZARD...GREEN SANDPIPER...WOOD SANDPIPER...COMMON SANDPIPER...LAPWING...GREY HERON...CORMORANT...CANADA GEESE...GREYLAG GEESE...MUTE SWAN...COOT...MOORHEN... B/H/GULL...COMMON TERN(5)...G/C/GREBE...MALLARD...MANDARIN...GADWALL...TEAL...TUFTED DUCK...C/CROW...JACKDAW...WOOD PIGEON...PIED WAGTAIL...ROBIN.
Today turned out to be more about quality, not quantity.
As for my 'Bird of The Day' there can be one, the wonderful *** RED KITE*** Barcud Coch, to give it, it's welsh name, because to me it will always be a welsh bird. (In 1997 all the remaining kites in wales desceded from 1 female.)
The Wood Sandpiper came a very, very close second. If it hadn't have been for the Kite, it would have been a clear winner)
Below is a picture I took some years ago in Wales of some of the many kites feeding at Gigrin Farm. Picture quality isn't good as it was taken with a old camera.