Today was the day of the Clyde SOC outing to Lochwinnoch, so I headed out early to get the first of the two buses I needed. The changeover was in Paisley so I had a look over the parapet of St James' Bridge just in case there was a Kingfisher or Dipper on the river below (there wasn't). Then off on the 902 to the Newton of Belltrees roundabout and the short walk downhill to the reserve. Almost the first bird of the day was a Meadow Pipit which called several times as if flew overhead. The first notable bird at the reserve was Treecreeper. The Barr Loch produced a good selection of waterbirds and a single Fieldfare on a pasture field. Aird Meadow meantime had four Whooper Swans while Castle Semple Loch had its long-staying Long-tailed Duck. The only flowering plants along the way were Snowdrops at the RSPB Visitor Centre. The only insect was nevertheless a good one - a single 2-spot Ladybird on Hazel catkins near the bus stop on the A737.