A question for Matthew I guess.
I noticed this last weekend that the exposed mud at the wader scrape seems much less than at a similar time last year.
Is this just a natural phenomenon or is it deliberate - are you controlling levels?
Keith
Hi Keith
It is an interesting question - to which the basic answer is yes, we're controlling water levels. But it is never as an exact science as you'd like.
Last year we came out of March having undergone one of our driest periods ever and sites like Wombwell had dried out completely the year before and hadn't achieved winter max levels.
This year, we come out of March following one of our wettest periods ever - Edderthorpe for example has flooded several times in the last 12 months and with high river levels and saturated ground, it is taking time to shift water.
We have sluices and pipes set to take water off - particularly on Wader Scrape - but it is a slower process than usual.
The reality is that in a 'normal' year, we might be half way between last year and this year!
We aim to have mud draw down for both breeding waders and to hit peak wader passage too. We're playing catch up a little but we are getting there.
Hope that helps
Regards
Matthew
Thanks Matthew.
All makes sense....obviously a crystal ball is what you need!
Hope it is just right for the 'mud-lovers' when they turn up.