From Thursday 1 August to Thursday 8 August, there will be significant disturbance on the Eric Morecambe and Allen Pools as the Warden team get to work on some more improvements and repairs to the saltmarsh pools. Last summer the Wardens carried out some repairs to the banks of the Eric Morecambe pool. The plan was always to continue with further bank repairs this summer, with a focus on the Allen Pool. We will also carry out a repair to the new bank at the back of the Eric Morecambe Pool which was hit hard by several storms last winter.
Spring tide on saltmarsh - Jarrod Sneyd
Between 1 and 8 August the team will be repairing some erosion damage and installing a pipe to allow for further water level controls. The material used to carry out the repairs to the banks will be mud, dug up from the pools. A welcome side effect of this means increasing the variation in depths of the pools. This variety is good for attracting a diverse range of birds as different species are adapted to feed at different depths of water and mud. We see this in the species often found at the Eric Morecambe and Allen pools, including species such as the Grey Heron and Little Egret, fishing is deeper water, ducks such as Wigeon, dabbling in shallow water, and wading birds like Avocets, Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwits, which feed in mud usually in shallower water.
Curlew, Eider, Redshank and Dunlin - a diverse range of species with different feeding requirements. Taken by Jarrod Sneyd
This work will take place in both the Eric Morecambe Pool and Allen Pool, water levels have been lowered and will be kept low to allow the team access to carry out the work. This means birds are unlikely to stay in the area, even when the team isn't on site working. Once the work is completed water levels will return to normal after the next high tides just in time for peak wader migration later in August.
Low water levels at Eric Morecambe pools, July 2024 Make sure to check in with the Welcome team on your arrival to get updates on where the Warden team are working. Both Eric Morecambe and Allen hides will remain open, so why not pop down and see some conservation in action?