It pays to keep your head up and your eyes open as you walk around Mere Sands Wood: there are all kinds of species around this lovely reserve, though some of them are a bit shy, notably the roe deer and the red squirrels. GZ has always been a lucky spot for us. We've had numerous great views of the kingfisher and when the bittern were last here we had as good a view of this elusive bird as you're likely to see.
Even if you haven't brought binoculars, there's plenty to see and it's still worth popping into a hide to discover what's about. Birders are mostly a friendly bunch and if there's anything interesting or unusual they'll happily tell you and often lend you a look through their “bins” or telescope. You may even run into that well-known birding sub-species, The Twitcher (Aviphilus demens): they're the kind of fanatic that would rather die than leave a hide without seeing every available species... Big thanks to Lindsay and her team from the Wildlife Trust for permission to place this and the other caches here.