Unfortunately, the flood waters have continued to rise overnight & through this morning - the water level in Elney Lake has come up by over a metre in 48 hours. Therefore, the Holywell Lake car park and the Coucher hide at Moore Lake remain closed. Low lying paths in the western half of the site, such as the one circling Elney Lake are impassable. The flood gates are closed on the Guided Busway cyclepath. The public footpaths along the eastern side of Far Fen Lake & Ferry Lagoon and up the western side of Swavesey Lake are still usable as they run along the top of flood embankments.
The flood is likely to have a significant impact on ground-nesting birds. We know we have lost lapwing nests at Moore Lake and it is likely that redshanks, oystercatchers, coots & moorhens have also been affected, here and at Elney Lake. On a brighter note, Far Fen Lake has been spared the worst of the flood & we have just confirmed our second brood of lapwing chicks there. Lapwings are highly mobile from an early age, so they should be able to seek refuge on higher ground should the flood reach this area.
We shall continue to post updates, so keep checking back to see the current position as we head towards the weekend.