There is a lot of water on the reserve at the moment, with levels being at their highest ever (apart from in a flood year). Part of the Seasonal Trail is under water and so this has now been closed off. Part of the boardwalk is also submerged and although we've not closed it yet, we are keeping a close eye on the situation. Water levels will continue to rise as more water is over-spilling from Slough Dyke, leaking into Phase 3 via a faulty sluice, flowing in through various springs and most probably sneaking through seams of sand and gravel lying between the reserve and the river. The river has come up by 3m since Friday!
Whilst checking the reserve to see if we needed to start building an Ark, a good range of wintery avifauna was flying and swimming around, including: 5 goldeneyes, a marsh harrier, stonechats, big flocks of redwings and fieldfares, loads of reed buntings, long tailed tits, wrens and goldfinches, squealing water rails and noisy Cetti's warblers.
Long tailed tit ©Stuart Carlton Twitter: @StuartCarlton48
The River Trent, close to Cromwell Weir, looking North.