Wet in Weymouth

A proper birding day out today. I was meeting up with my long time birding friends in Weymouth but first I wanted to check out Seaton Marsh to see if the Stone Curlew that was reported yesterday had stayed overnight.
I left home in the rain at 7am and arrived around twenty minutes later. I scanned over the marsh but couldn't see anything resembling a Stone Curlew. I did see several common Curlews plus common Redshank and a few Wigeon.
I was now running late for meeting the other guys so I got a move on and arrived at Radipole RSPB Reserve around 8.35am.

We walked over to the Gurka restaurant by the overpass to check out whether the Iceland Gulls were still about. There were no gulls at all on view, but we did see the Hooded Merganser that has taken up residence there.
I'm really not sure about the providence of this bird, everybody say's its a true wild duck, bur Birdguides still lists it as a possible escape ?
It was still raining but we decided to walk around the reserve and make our way to the North Hide to see what was about. The rain was making birding difficult but we did hear many Cetti's Warblers giving their explosive calls from the reed bed. We took shelter in the hide for 45 mins and apart from a couple of Chiff-Chaffs and a few Teal,Shoveler and Tufted Duck it was very quiet.
We then decided to call it a day here and move on to Lodmoor, but not before we were roped into an abortive attempt to trap a Mute Swan with a fish-hook impaled in her neck under the bridge.
We arrived at Lodmoor around 10.45am and immediately that I got out from the car I spotted a Great Bittern flying over the reeds, I managed to get everyone else on the bird before it climbed steadily and flew out out sight behind the vegetation. It was really miserable walking around in the rain apart from a few Black Tailed Godwits,Redshank,Snipe and Oystercatchers there were few waders on view.
We walked across the main road to 'scope over the bay, and at once John had pointed out a Great Northern Diver followed by Tim who found a Razorbill and two Great Crested Grebes.
We were all wet and cold by now and as Tim and I had planned to leave for home around midday we decided to walk back to the cars.
Just as we Tim and I were about to leave John came up trumps again with a splendid female Marsh Harrier flying over the reed bed. Tim and I then made our goodbyes and left the other three to continue on with their day out.
Not the best days birding I've ever had, spoiled largely by the weather but it was good to meet up with the guy's again after such a long time.
PS my year list now stands at 95 species, By the end of the same day last year I was on 108 but then I was on a  birding trip to Scotland !