Protracted grey cloud, rain and chill winds dampen the spirits.

Nevertheless, until the end of the year, sat least one every day is still the rule. I hadn’t been to Pauatahanui for a while, so that’s where I went yesterday. You know the conditions are tough when the Royal Spoonbills huddle together in the shallow pond by the bird hide.

At Motukaraka point, the tide was out, but despite the somewhat bleak conditions, spring blossom is an antidote to the misery. I think this is an apple tree.

Around the corner of the point, a white-faced heron was silhouetted against the reflected light of the late afternoon sun. It was getting a lot of the small mud crabs that abound in the harbour.

Across SH2 to Plimmerton, the same late sun peering from behind a heavy cloud provided interesting conditions for a seascape from Karehana Bay.
That’s all today.