Twelve soon to be bedraggled souls met in the Yacht Club car park defying the dire forecast. Despite the optimism engendered by a few all too brief dry periods the theme of the day was heavy downpour alleviated from time to time by steady rain. The plan for the day was mainly shelter in the hides starting on the west side of the river. En route the viewpoint over the head of the river revealed only a few birds the most notable being a single Common Gull among the Cormorants and Coots. Further along the road a few waders were spotted sheltering behind groynes on the shingle, three each of Redshank, Turnstone and Sanderling but the sea was empty of bird life. From the Meon Shore hide an excellent array of waterfowl and waders were in view. Sixteen Snipe were the highlight showing their elegant plumage to advantage in the gloomy light and later their skills in flight. Oystercatchers were roosting in abundance in the company of a fair few Lapwings and a handful of Redshanks. Teal too were numerous with a scattering of Mallards, Shovelers, Moorhens and just one Shelduck. The next port of call was the Spurgin hide, taking advantage of a pause in the precipitation – as did a number of songbirds including Robins, a Blue Tit and a Chiffchaff. From the hide two Cetti’s Warblers made their presence felt while a large flock of Starlings could be seen perched atop a large tree. A female-type Marsh Harrier soon appeared flushing ducks and waders over a large area on its patrol. A Grey Heron and some Canada Geese were spotted distantly but the pools in front of the hide remained deserted. The return to the car park was marked by the discovery of a young and rather cold slow worm on the path and happily coincided with the driest part of the day. Back at the beach a patch of snow marked a tightly packed flock of over forty Sanderlings. Immediately after the local Merlin streaked from the visitors’ centre across the river and perched for distant viewing. Meanwhile a male Marsh Harrier decided to put on a show, roaming over the reeds and displaying its handsome plumage with a rainbow as the backdrop. Reality soon reasserted itself as the group was then imprisoned in their cars by drenching rain with just lunch for comfort. After that the Knights Bank hide became the destination. From there there was much to see on an area much more heavily flooded than usual. Large numbers of Gadwall, Mallards and Teal circulated with a few Wigeon. The Canada Geese flocked increased while a few Egyptian Geese were also seen. The gull flock included both Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls. The most striking sight came from perhaps a hundred Black-tailed Godwits feeding on the banks in the company of a good number of Lapwings. Both Marsh Harriers reappeared, one feeding on the meadow while the other discouraged a Common Buzzard from approaching. Sadly the three Glossy Ibis reported earlier in the day did not appear but despite the group’s travails it was accounted a successful walk with a list of 47 species.