After all the boisterous weather of the past few months there’s hardly any wind at
all today. Walking out to the harbour at Nutbourne in the still silence punctuated only by wigeon calls was was a welcome change. Rather soothing and contemplative, at least until other walkers came into sight chattering loudly.
It may have been two hours from low water but plenty of mud was exposed. Oystercatchers, Dunlin and Redshanks were scampering about, there may have been other waders but I’d forgotten my
binoculars so couldn’t tell. There were wigeon on the mud too, making the most of whatever scraps were there to sustain them. There must have been over a hundred in total either feeding or roosting. Why had they chosen this part of the harbour to remain as the tide went out? There are many reports of large packs of wigeon inland but these ones decided to grace this spot for our benefit.
Looking towards Thornham Marina the water was totally unruffled. Like a mirror, as has been described a thousand times; but it was! The masts and hulls of the yachts made an almost perfect reflection in what was left of the water as it drained away. Dark clouds provided a contrasting backdrop to the soft sunshine that peeped out for a few minutes, highlighting this forest of aluminium punctuating the coastline.
The stillness pervaded the hedges and fields inland. Songbirds had not been particularly vocal but one or
two made their presence known, either with a short burst of song or an alarm call. This Robin didn’t show any signs of alarm staying quite still as we walked past close by, just a few feet away. Even the crows seemed to respect the peace and quiet, they were unusually inactive.