Today i went to londons wetland centre and saw sooooooooo many birds!!!!! lots were very exotic - i hadnt heard of any of the ones in that section but i did see some normal birds but google the ones you dont know cuz they r awesome!!!!!! take a look:

bufflehead
hooded merganser 
smew
moorhen
coot
coscoroba duck (soz if thats spelt wrong!)
muscovy duck
black bellied whistling duck
fulvous whistling duck
south american comb duck
cape teal
brent goose
eider
pintail
tuffted duck 
black swan
radjah shelduck
plumed whistling duck
heron
swallow
dunnock
cormorant 
mute swan
bewick swan
barnical goose
white fronted goose
red breasted goose



quite a few huh?
oh and otters<3


as if Mondays birdwatching wasnt enough, i went back to the wetland centre again to see more. the following are either birds i didnt see on Monday but did today, OR, they are birds i did see on Monday but forgot to write down:

coot
jackdaw
tufted duck+chicks
woodpigion
goldeneye
red crested pochard
little greebe
white headed ducks
ferruginous duck
grey heron
common tern
lapwing
common pochard
black headed gull
great crested greebe 
ringed teal
coscoroba swan
collard dove
layslan duck
hawaiian goose
reed warbler!
sedge warbler!
mallard 
swallow
(we werent sure but:) green sandpiper?
magpie 


as you can see, the wetland centre never fails to please and i hope to be going again soon.

P.S: There was another bird we saw that we couldnt identify. It was duck sized - infact it was a duck - and it was entirely brown apart from a white chest. i couldnt see its beak but does anyone have any ideas as to what it might be? 

thanks.
spoonbill

The RSPB is embarking on an exciting new venture with the launch of a new 400-hectare site on the outskirts of Leeds. Specifically designed for both people and wildlife, the new site will open to the public on Saturday 25th May 2013.

Just outside Leeds and on the banks of the River Aire, St Aidan's — best described as a nature park — will be the perfect place for people to get close to nature and relax, unwind or exercise in a stress-free environment. With over 12km of footpaths, bridleways and cycle paths interconnecting through the site, visitors will have an unrivalled opportunity to explore the natural world.

Darren Starkey, RSPB senior site manager for the Aire Valley, said: "Although the site will be managed for nature conservation — just like other RSPB sites — the difference here is that it will also be open for a wide range of activities, from cycling and walking to jogging and horse riding."

Formerly an opencast coal mine, St Aidan's has been restored over the last ten years by Harworth Estates (formerly UK Coal) working together with the RSPB, and has rapidly become one of the best wildlife habitats in the country. The site is already home to many rare and exciting birds, mammals, insects and wildflowers. Darren added, "It has taken us over a decade to get to this point, but we're all so excited to finally be able to open up the space to the public and invite people in to get closer to nature."

Made up of nearly 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of grassland, reed beds, woodland, open water and islands, the site will be carefully zoned so that a number of different activities can all be carried out without compromising the wildlife of the site.

The site (formerly known as Swillington Ings) will be open to the public seven days a week with a visitor car park and Visitor Centre located off Astley Lane, Great Preston, LS26 8AL.

Although only a few miles from Leeds city centre, the site has breeding Bitterns, Avocets and Black-necked Grebes as well as a thriving Black-headed Gull colony that numbers several thousand birds. Birds seen in the last week have included Pectoral Sandpiper, Osprey, Cetti's Warbler, Ringed Plover,Sanderling, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Whinchat and Garganey.

Darren added, "In addition to the breeding birds of important conservation concern, the site has already produced rarities such as Black Kite, Glossy Ibis and, on one memorable day in 2009, three Whiskered Terns and a Collared Pratincole. I'm sure that once the site opens to the public the greater observer coverage will lead to a wealth of new and exciting finds."

RSPB
Friday 24th May 2013