Standingholme and Stuncheonhill:
Standingholme across the drain:
Hempholme Meadows which is now virtually submerged; the original management prescription was to have the bottom of the furrows inundated for 10 days this winter - but we think this winter it'll be at least that! A plus is that it will kill off many of the dry land loving 'weed' species like creeping thistle and nettle - a shame that many of the invertebrates enjoying the cow dung will also have been lost too:
South Marsh East and West do not look much different having both being low anyway - whether we'll get the coarse aggregate from the tunneling programme on there now is another issue. One area that had changed was Watton NR; the bund has finally been overtopped and breached into the pits - it doesn't look immediately different until you realise the seasonal ponds are now part of the waterbody:
7 redshank and 19 curlew on today. The sand martin colony is now an island and the willow island in the northern pit is now only discernible by the tips of the trees:
A nice group of 300 or so golden plover over wilfholme put up by a distant peregrine falcon:
But work never stops even amongst the floods; Mike tending the fire in South Scrub. We've been clearing around some of the small stands of blackthorn to give them room to grow and expand - this diversifies the hawthorn monopoly and creates great dense nesting habitat for turtle dove and bullfinch next year:
Reserve Walk this Saturday the 1st at 10am - all welcome.
