A dry day greeted us in the Forest of Dean. As we followed the path to the lower hide at Nagshead RSPB we heard a garden warbler but try as we might we just could not see it. Further down we had good views of male pied flycatchers, and for a few of us also a redstart. There was a great-spotted woodpecker nest just by the path and we could hear the young and see the adult birds. At the hide there was a grey wagtail, and near our lunch stop we got amazing views of a nuthatch feeding its young.
Later we drove to Parkend to look for dippers along a fast flowing stream. We were successful seeing one from a bridge as it bobbed and dived nearby, and at one point flew close over our heads. Our last stop was a Cannop Ponds stone works where we added a number of new birds for the day. There were mandarin ducks on the water and some feeders held finches and tits, including a smart male siskin.
