The weather is just a bit unpredictable at the moment with all sorts of depressions about, although most of the wind and rain has been in the north. Here we’ve had a strong southerly wind yesterday which is continuing this morning so it’s surprisingly mild after several chilly days. 

Reports around the harbour are that migrants are flocking in, that is the feathered ones rather than those coming in on inflatables. Several hundred wigeon were seen on the Deeps at Thorney. At Fishbourne there are several about, we could hear them but not make them out as they were in the channel well away from our side. The croaking of Brent geese indicated that some of the many that were flooding in now had made their way to to the heads of the harbour. There are also plenty of waders now but too far out to be identified.

It’s fairly close to a new moon so there’s a spring tide, at Portsmouth it was 5.1m yesterday; at low water this morning the channel was reduced to a trickle. From the sea wall the whole of the mill ruin is clearly visible together with the bathing wall. It’s a shame that they didn’t show up but two Lapwing were fluttering about nearby, their square wings with black edges standing out from the background mud.

Several photographers and bird watchers were about but as most of the action was far away they focused their rather expensive optics on several Little Grebes that were kind enough to remain close to the footpath  

picking at anything they could find in the shallows. They always seem to look so smart despite being continually in mud and muck; they don’t seem to need as much preening as ducks do or maybe they just do it in private.