The storms did cause damage, but was perhaps not as bad as people feared.  This is partly down to improved sea defences but also early warning systems established by the Environment Agency and the emergency service teams involved.

It was good to receive a call from Defra on Thursday sharing their assessment of risks based on COBRA meeting discussions.  But it was even more reassuring to hear that our local teams already had matters in hand and were already preparing to deal with whatever the storms threw at our reserves.. You will all have read reports of impacts on people's property, but the RSPB's reserves, particularly in East Anglia, have also taken a bit of a hammering.

While the defences at many of our reserves did a pretty good job, many sites were still flooded - see the story from Titchwell here.  Snettisham and Havergate were hit  badly and it's clear that we we will be pumping out seawater from many of our reserves in this region for days to come.  

On the day that we publish the latest State of UK Birds report, the storm is a timely reminder that wildlife (and humans) have to deal with whatever nature (whether exacerbated by human activity or not) throws at them.  Those species whose populations have crashed are particularly vulnerable to extreme events, so when you have a read of the latest report remember that the clock is ticking for us to help those birds whose populations are crashing such as willow tit, turtle dove, whinchat and corn bunting.  All the more reason to get the right outcome from the Common Agriculture Policy consultation. More on that tomorrow.

As ever, the State of UK Birds report it is a great read, so please do have a browse and let me know what you think. 

  • Martin - I think RSPB can afford to feel a little smug after what has happened at Titchwell - that's the thing with 100 year storms, you never quite know when they are coming along. I suspect there'll have been some scepticism about the managed retreat at Titchwell - very expensive as it was - and it is  often a difficult decision is vindicated so soon  ! More widely, what this storm has shown is that behind all the noise and debate a lot of people have been getting on with their jobs quietly and effectively - I hope the documentary shown recently on the 1953 tidal surge will be shown again soon: hundreds of people lost their lives in England, thousands in the Netherlands - this time, the work of EA and others and the calm preparedness of them and the emergency services saved hundreds. The big message, however, has to be about resilience - and as you point out there is nothing to beat a natural saltmarsh in soaking up the force of the storm - exactly as SE Asian countries which had preserved their mangroves found in the Tsunami.