Once again we are basking in the aftermath of the fantastic British summer! The reserve flooded again on Saturday and it looks as though the impact on ground and low nesting breeding birds has been pretty devastating. We will be continuing to monitor and assess the impact as the flood waters start to recede, which thankfully they now are. As usual there will be lots of flood debris to clear up and paths to repair. The Visitor Centre and main car park are open as normal today and the reserve is accessible from Fairburn village and Back Newton Lane. The road between the reserve and Allerton Bywater (or should that be Allerton Underwater?!) is still flooded but should be passable by tomorrow.
There have not been too many wildlife sightings but I did see my first Banded Demoiselle of the year by the Kingfisher Screen this morning and several Hobbies have been hawking the various dragonflies and damseflies when the sun puts in a brief appearance. Lots of voles, displaced by the flooding, have been seen wandering around the footpaths. Red Kites, Kestrels, Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards are all capitalising on this sudden glut of furry fodder and a Barn Owl has been seen hunting on the reserve for the last few evenings. The dry stone wall between the Visitor Centre and the car park is coming into bloom and yesterday over 40 different species of wild flower were recorded growing in and around it.