Back to nature

After a long hiatus Tophill Low Nature Reserve will re-open on Saturday the 21st of March.  My apologies for the lack of updates;  I've started writing repeatedly only to have to scrub it when we have gone from one extreme to the other in recent weeks - by late January we were wondering ourselves what the fuss was all about, but February we did an about turn with a return to full flood alert with level pegging on the highest level ever recorded on the Hull at Hempholme.  We managed to get a team of long term volunteers in one morning to help prep for re-starting - only to then evacuate everyone before 10:30am due to reports of a breach.  So its all been jolly exciting.

In the midst of this saga some great news that we have been shortlisted for Visit Hull and East Yorkshire's Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards on the 19th of March in the Sustainable, Responsible and Ethical category. 

A great accolade for all the folks that help out here and we'll be keeping our fingers crossed on the night.  An additional output is that it has given us a target to work towards and focus the minds of all involved in flood works.  It'd be a poor show both for us and the awarding body to shortlist a closed venue - so we've planned to try and hit this target along with the start of breeding season to re-open.
The EA's contractors BAM have been working hard from the outset to complete the piling works to this date and have managed to get there in time.  A new outlook from the reception hide - having 24 hour gate security and in addition a 4G phone mast on the WTW has been welcome!:

As the river bank was too soft to work on all work had to be undertaken from the river Hull itself - with a custom pontoon:

Piles arriving to site - 4m in length, 75cm wide and 500m of bank have been stabilised:

Whilst safe again the remedial work is set to continue into May so we're going to be a chunk of car park down for some time so please be mindful car parking.

Many have asked what the damage is from the flooding - has the photo hide been submerged? etc.  the answer is nothing;  All the risk was in if it did breach - as it didn't nothing has changed on that front so apart from a lot of cobwebs its as we left it.  The same cannot be said though of Ceira and Dennis however.  The gales of February have caused a lot of devastation - perhaps most notably in O res wood - fancy a walk to O res?:

The southern site was blocked off for two weeks or so until cleared.  The big root plates we'll leave as habitat:

We've assessed some of the remaining poplars on this corner and unfortunately more will have to go as the wet ground and open canopy are going to lead to more losses.  In the interim until opening we have professional tree contractors coming to sort a number of damaged trees to make the site safe for the public:

A telling barometer of the wind is that in some areas all the elder - normally sheltered beneath the canopy has been flattened horizontally: 

Needless to say there has been a lot of debris and damage around the paths on site and the hides have gone back to nature:

As such on Wednesday the 18th of March there will be a members clean up day - start at 9:30am to help clear the paths, re-open the hides, clean the hides and ready the Holt education room ready for the first school groups of the year.  You'll need to show your existing membership card and its strictly for 'work' - not birding or photography - but an interesting chance to see the lay of the land amongst clearing paths, re-opening, cleaning and furnishing hides and helping prep the holt education room.

Friday the 20th of March in the Tophill 'bio-blitz' for existing members only (Again please bring your card and we strictly won't be doing new memberships or day tickets on the day and non-2019/20 members will be turned away).  Given we have been closed for so long and Amy and I have seldom been on site we have no knowledge of what's here.  This will be the chance to bird and photo the site and find out some of what the wildlife has been up to ready to convey to the public for the Saturday 21st public re-opening.  

We did set up some trail cameras when we did get in to resolve some strange goings on;  We wanted to try and work out odd things like this;

You'll be surprised at what ate it.  More interesting info to follow in coming days...

In the meantime new membership season is upon us.  Prices remain as last year; as ever please call in or print the form on the membership tab above.  Alas we still have no card payment option so cheque or cash please.  As last year membership also includes the new access codes to the Izzard hide (changes 1st April).

For 2019-20 members that missed out on three months membership we'll be doing a deducted price against renewals.  If you present (or enclose) your 2019/20 membership card we will be doing renewals at £22 (from the standard £28) or £16.50 concessions (from the standard £22).  Some members have very kindly offered to refuse any reimbursement for the missing months - if you make us aware we'll contribute this towards Margaret's education set up to help buy kit for the school visits and help inspire a new generation.

For day tickets please note from the 1st of April we'll be splitting the current £1.80 concession price into a separate £1.50 for 5-16 year olds and £2.50 for 65 and over.  Adults remain the same at £3.50.

Moving on further we had to unfortunately abandon the photography exhibition in December because of the flooding - this will now be running from Saturday the 4th April to Sunday the 19th of April.  Thanks for those whom supplied the images already we have in store ready to go.  For further entries we'll be accepting them from the 21st March to 5pm on Thursday the 2nd of April.  I've added the entry form on the events program with all the classes and rules.  Prizes will be either membership or a reimbursement for those who've taken one.

This caused us another issue as we'd planned to use an image from the exhibition as the new membership pass for 2020.  As such we had to find a neutral image that wouldn't be favoring an individual;  Therefore we have gone futuristic and have turned to AI for the image:  This cracking shot of a little egret was taken in South Marsh East on a trail camera last year and as such was taken by a robot:

I'm afraid its the future folks;  I have a feeling we may be reverting to trail cameras for more imagery this year.  We've already had instructions on coronavirus procedures and hand sanitisers on site for school visits;  It's not been a good year for us humans thus far but at least the wildlife is reveling in our absence - By 2021 it'll be be like Pripyat...  More posts to follow in the coming days with a wildlife news round up shortly with some of what has been going on:

Finally on the theme of bad human news we've also lost a few good hands since January;  Terry Mahoney of the nest box team and former Chairman of Beverley Naturalists;

Les Bardwell Volunteer Warden and Wetland Bird Survey Counter of many years.

And after a short illness Derrick Venus long term regular and latterly volunteer in the Reception Hide since opening; 

All will be greatly missed and the landscape very much different when we do open.  For those wishing to pay their respects Derrick's funeral will be at Octon 10:30am on the 17th of March.