• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Norfolk birding (35 Viewers)

Today at Blakeney Point there were many seal pups in the dunes. Only six were seen east of the start of the dunes on the Point -two of which were in a bad way while the others were well fed.
Surprised that the total for pups at the Point was 1200 as I understood there were about 500 there two weeks ago and pupping had almost finished. There were seals swimming in water in the depression on the south side of the plantation and also a cow and pup swimming in a pool in the lupins.
The new balcony on the lifeboat station is damaged as is the ramp which was where the lifeboat was launched in days of old.
As expected a lot of shingle has been pushed inland and the top of the shingle ridge now has lost all the docks and small suaeda bushes that had taken root there.
 
Locostella said:
Hey guys,

We, as all of you must be are still in disbelief at the extent of damage to our coastline, wildlife and people's property. I just wanted to extend an offer of mine and my wife's help in any cleaning up or help people need along the coast in any way whatsoever. If anyone needs, or knows of anyone who needs extra help cleaning up then please inbox me.

Cheers,

Kieran
Click to expand...
john miller said:
Updating this statement, this morning over 1200 seal pups were counted on the point. The previous news I think was based on the Horsey pups lost and the fact nobody could believe the point ones would have survived. Am told the counters were amazed at the survival of virtually all the colony.

John
Click to expand...

Two truly heartwarming posts in this otherwise thoroughly depressing and distressing event.

Nigel
 
Terrible scenes of devastation at one of our favourite holiday destinations. Thinking of you all that have been affected. If there are any work parties etc in our holidays we will be happy to muck in and help repair things. Regards from Derbyshire
 
Spent the day along the coast, starting at Holme and ending at Cley. Burnham Norton looked incredible – the entire marshes were flooded right up to the carpark with tons of birds, greylags, brents, wigeon, mute swans, curlews etc etc.

East Bank, Cley had huge sections of reedbed plonked on the path!!! Walsey Hills carpark - what carpark!!!

East Hills still exists - photographed this from Wells Lifeboat Station - a few fallen pine trees though and dune ridge eaten into.

Full update on blog shortly.

Penny:girl:
 
Norfolk 6/12/2013 Salthouse

Click on link below to view Salthouse 'freshmarsh' and shingle breaches in progress. Great to witness tidal saltmarsh at the start of the creation process. With the deep (permanent?) breach in the ridge mentioned in earlier posts we should celebrate this 'new' wild natural habitat. Afterall it was expected and planned for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8E5QwV6KGE&feature=youtu.be
 
Last edited:
Not sure it was planned for this quickly!

As I understood it, the expectation was for the shingle bank to reprofile (wider & flatter), allowing more overtopping during very high tides or storm events, with the resulting saltwater inundation cleared more quickly via the New Cut / sluices at Cley into the Glaven channel. The Shoreline Management Plan only talks about "beginning the process of saltmarsh development", assuming no active intervention, in epoch 2 (2026-2055). The only interesting addition is that the plan for the shingle ridge allows for "intervention is response to events that cause immediate risk to life and to residential and commercial buildings in Cley and Salthouse, or threaten the transport function of the A149" - does this apply in this case?

So are we saying here that NWT paid £1.2m for Pope's saltmarsh?
 
[QUOTE So are we saying here that NWT paid £1.2m for Pope's saltmarsh?[/QUOTE]

Wasn't it always thought to become a saltmarsh and saline pools? The latter in particular being a rare habitat.

Might take a few years before the quayside by Wiveton chuch could become functional again....but then again....
 
Last edited:
Brancaster 0830-0945

Stonechat on Beach Road. 30 Snow Buntings on beach Titchwell side of Golf Club. Red Throated Diver x 3 on sea plus 1m Goldeneye.
 
robinchittenden said:
[QUOTE So are we saying here that NWT paid £1.2m for Pope's saltmarsh?
Click to expand...

Wasn't it always thought to become a saltmarsh and saline pools? The latter in particular being a rare habitat.

Might take a few years before the quayside by Wiveton chuch could become functional again....but then again....[/QUOTE]

Its all saltmarsh now. Given the timescale for recovery and the likelihood of no new flood defences is significant investment in Cley as a fresh marsh worth doing? The NWT have quiet a bit of thinking to do.
 
Last edited:
It was always assumed that the grazing marshes at Salthouse and Kelling would become saltmarsh eventually but not on this timescale. To quote from the NWT land purchase appeal FAQs:

"Overtopping of the shingle occurs regularly. It is predicted that, as a result of climate change and sea level rise, the land will eventually be reclaimed partially or wholly by the sea, but nobody is sure when this might happen. It is a longer term process that evidence suggests has been underway for some time already. In the medium term, there will continue to be floods, and gradual loss of land as the shingle bank is pushed slowly landward and freshwater habitats become increasingly saline."

"A combination of incidence and trends, suggest that the predicted eventual loss will not happen overnight but over at least several decades"
 
Cley/Salthouse marshes, fresh or salt?

In 2010, NWT joined the Environment Agency in the 60-hectare Hilgay Wetland Creation Project which is meant to help compensate for the inevitable loss of the reed beds due to increasing saltwater incursion onto Cley/Salthouse marshes following 'managed retreat' of the coastal defences. In taking this action, I have to assume the Trust no longer considered reed beds sustainable at Cley/Salthouse and my curiosity is aroused by reading that the Trust intends to begin the initial restoration of Pope's Marsh by integrating habitats including reed bed for the benefit of Marsh Harrier, Bearded Tit and Bittern.

Admittedly, this statement of intent was announced before the very recent tidal incursion but one that needs to be explained nonetheless, though I won't be holding my breath.
 
Last edited:
crapbirder said:
In 2010, NWT joined the Environment Agency in the 60-hectare Hilgay Wetland Creation Project which is meant to help compensate for the inevitable loss of the reed beds due to increasing saltwater incursion onto Cley/Salthouse marshes following 'managed retreat' of the coastal defences. In taking this action, I have to assume the Trust no longer considered reed beds sustainable at Cley/Salthouse and my curiosity is aroused by reading that the Trust intends to begin the initial restoration of Pope's Marsh by integrating habitats including reed bed for the benefit of Marsh Harrier, Bearded Tit and Bittern.

Admittedly, this statement of intent was announced before the very recent tidal incursion but one that needs to be explained nonetheless, though I won't be holding my breath.
Click to expand...

Probably fair to say that freshwater reedbeds are not sustainable in the long term at Cley but reed grows perfectly well in brackish and saline conditions. Marsh harrier will nest in tidal reedbeds (as they do at Titchwell) and as long as there is plenty of dry reed litter bearded tits should be fine. Bitterns really need reedbeds with lots of fish so might struggle. But this is why NWT and EA are creating replacement freshwater reedbed at Hilgay.
 
Last edited:
RobLucking said:
Probably fair to say that freshwater reedbeds are not sustainable in the long term at Cley but reed grows perfectly well in brackish and saline conditions. Marsh harrier will nest in tidal reedbeds (as they do at Titchwell) and as long as there is plenty of dry reed litter bearded tits should be fine. Bitterns really need reedbeds with lots of fish so might struggle. But this is why NWT and EA are creating replacement freshwater reedbed at Hilgay.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it's also a reason for accelerating the development of the washes at Stiffkey to create new reedbeds?
MJB
 
9 Whoopers + a few Bewicks at Horsey today, 35ish Marsh harriers into the roost at Stubbs Mill at one point 28 in the air together, 3 cranes came in and 3 RT Hen Harriers also in the area.
 
RobLucking said:
Probably fair to say that freshwater reedbeds are not sustainable in the long term at Cley but reed grows perfectly well in brackish and saline conditions. Marsh harrier will nest in tidal reedbeds (as they do at Titchwell) and as long as there is plenty of dry reed litter bearded tits should be fine. Bitterns really need reedbeds with lots of fish so might struggle. But this is why NWT and EA are creating replacement freshwater reedbed at Hilgay.
Click to expand...

I'm relieved to hear that reed grows perfectly well in brackish and saline conditions.

Let's hope well enough to provide a surplus which can be commercially harvested and provide enough income for NWT to provide a full-time warden at Pope's Marsh.
 

Similar threads

B
Birding in Portugal, Spain May june 2024
Replies
4
Views
426
brooke65
B
B
May - June birding in Europe. Guides?
Replies
1
Views
282
Fritz73
Fritz73
R
Red grouse near Buxton and anything else . Advise please
Replies
3
Views
296
simmojunior
S
T
30/03, Devon. Another (un)Common Buzzard?
Replies
10
Views
637
The Kerreran
T
SueO
Stories Behind Birds You've Photographed
Replies
18
Views
774
Joe H
Joe H

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 36 (members: 0, guests: 36)
Back
Top