Also posted to bngbirds

Hi - I was finally initiated into birding after years of static interaction with the g&i 'birds of south india' (the book was enough to please me). however, i got round to a kind of professional birding only yesterday in zwin - with a passionate birder from Manchester. He lent me a pair of 8x24 binoculars, let me view through the telescope and provided top-class commentary on everything birds. This was a dream initiation. To get to the point, here are the birds we spotted mostly all on the same stretch of marsh-like land:
little egret; lapwing; shellduck (uses rabbit burrows for nest); starlings; jakdaws; starlings; red shanks; oyster catchers; curlews; waders (either grey on golden. not certain); grey plover, ringed plover; greater crested grebe; little grebe; mallard; gadwell; pochard; greylag goose; buzzard; kestrel; herring gull; less black back gull
blackheaded gull; cormorant (very happy to spot; last time i saw one was in kerala)
Since it was right there, we went to the bird enclosure in the reserve; and i hope the birds within are there only because they were injured or ailing; i would be sorry otherwise; i dont think its doing anyone a favour if the proposers thought it would be a helpful crash course. I saw a rook, night heron and stork there. And then the very striking eagle crow.
Thats all. The total experience really picked up a stale period in a retentive country. And reaffirmed something I never doubted: the unique and thrilling urge among birders to share and discover with anyone. This is a fine religion.