Yesterday the rain was torrential all day, as forecast maybe but still unusually heavy for any time of the year, especially Summer. Today it was better, cloudy early on, but clearing for the rest of the day. We
decided to walk around Nutbourne and Prinstead to have a glimpse of the harbour which would be at a very low tide.
Passing through the fields on the way to the harbour we were struck by the number of Sparrows in the hedges. There was a cloud of them flitting from one bush to another together, excitedly cheeping as only sparrows can do.
Very different behaviour from the past few months when they had been busy nesting. Surprisingly there were a few swallows still about, rather late in leaving for warmer climes.
On the shoreline there wasn’t much to see to start off with, only lots of seagulls scattered about. Then we came across four Curlew on the foreshore pecking at the mud with their long, curved bills. Hopefully the first of many to return for the winter. We heard an Oyster Catcher several times but only saw one once, they’re clearly there and active.
Returning inland we saw the pond that had been completely dry, with the surface deeply cracked but now full of water. A reminder of the heavy rainfall that had disappeared into the ground everywhere else.