Category: Flooding

Last year when Tim Hill reported in March on the birdlife he had seen on the marsh it was after the marsh had been under flood water for longer than is usual. This resulted in some new, or rare, wildfowl sightings and some common water birds appearing in larger numbers. Less flooding this year, and so there have been some changes. Tim Hill reports:

“The number of species seen each month, January to May, has been around 50. With winter visitors departing, and summer visitors arriving, a total of 73 different species has been seen so far this year. This is slightly lower at this stage than last year due to the flooding that occurred in February 2024 bringing in additional visitors that year.

Unusually for this species here, a chiffchaff overwintered along Marston Lane and was seen throughout January and February. It started singing in early March. They are now calling all round the perimeter of the marsh. Cetti’s warblers have been here continuously from March 2023 after disappearing for several years.

Another species seen more regularly during winter and spring is the greylag goose. For the second year a brood has hatched at the east end of the marsh, and they can often be seen on the south bank of the river with mum and dad standing guard as they feed.

The swans that previously nested where the river Yare joins the mill stream did not return to that nest site this year. There were issues for them last year caused by flooding. At the east end the pair that successfully raised a family last year has produced a brood of 6 cygnets this year.

The warblers are back in good numbers. Sedge warblers are setting up territories and displaying across the marsh. The scratchy song of whitethroats can be heard in most areas with bramble or nettle patches. There is a single reed warbler around the stile on Marston Lane. It has lately favoured calling near the new seat. A garden warbler has returned to the woods along the riverbank and is usually heard in the central area. There was a brief appearance of a grasshopper warbler, with its mechanical whirring, to the west of the central path from the lane to the river. Blackcaps are widespread and very vocal too. The first was heard at the end of March.

The parakeets seem to favour the eastern end of the marsh a bit more. They may be making use of the many holes in the trees at that end. They do still tend to roost, some evenings, in the poplars near the riverbank where they first appeared. A barn owl was seen regularly patrolling the whole marsh in January. It was out at almost any time during daylight hours, but I have not seen it since the beginning of February. A rare visitor to the marsh was a male marsh harrier in March. It patrolled quite low, on three occasions, showing its wonderful upper wing markings. Another rare visitor for the marsh was a great white egret. One pops in occasionally and is quite spectacular standing in the water at the edge of the river, with its long neck vertical, as it looks for food.

At the time of writing sand martins and swifts have been seen but house martins and swallows are yet to appear. Two other long-distance migrants have also arrived with a cuckoo seen near the boardwalk and a common tern hovering and diving along the river.”

Finally that oft seen sight on the look out for food:

All photos by Tim Hill.

Walkers in the Yare Valley have experienced inconvenience with the present extended period of flooding there has been in the valley, but this is nothing compared with the devasting effect it can have on the valley ecosystem. The wildlife of the valley has experienced repeated flooding in the past, and so can be expected to have a degree of resilience in flood conditions, but the recent flooding has continued for an unusually long time. Flooding impacts on both flora and fauna, destroying habitats, drowning wildlife, and spreading disease. It also changes the balance of species to be seen in the valley.

Tim Hill has been out and about on Marston Marsh, and reports on some of the ornithological changes:

“Much of the marsh has been under water for longer than is usual resulting in some new, or rare, wildfowl sightings and some common water birds appearing in larger numbers. In the middle of February black-headed gulls reached a peak number of about 50 along the western half of the river. In amongst them were 3 or 4 common gulls, several herring gulls and the first of the lesser black-backed gulls to arrive. The number of greylag geese gradually increased through February reaching 43 on the 28^th of the month. The number has since decreased to single figures since then. This larger number also attracted a couple of Canada geese, a rare sight here. There have been up to three Egyptian geese, with a lone goose staying very close to the boardwalk most of the time. Opposite the seat by the river, at the western end, two oystercatchers have been a regular feature since 17^th of February into March. In the same area teal and gadwall have also been seen. On 18^th of February there was a single wigeon, on the flood, north of the rail crossing onto the south side of the river. This is the first I have seen here. On the 21^st of February there were 3 tufted ducks, on the flooded area, to the south of the stile along Marston Lane. This is also a new species for my marsh list. Three gadwall appeared there a few days later. Little grebes have been heard calling, regularly throughout February, from the flooded areas north of the river and close to the lane. The number of little egrets has peaked at 5.

Bullfinches have returned to the blackthorn bushes to the west of the stile and a stonechat has reappeared to the west of the outflow by the swings. There has been a vocal water rail in the ditch alongside Marston Lane, about halfway between the entrance to the marsh from Abinger Way and the stile. Stock doves have been regularly seen on or around the owl box but may be competing with grey squirrels for its occupancy. At the beginning of March there were about 50 siskins in the trees around the bridge at the east end. Redwings have been around in small numbers, but I have not seen a fieldfare here this year.”

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is currently used to compare the wealth and growth of national economies is  increasing recognised as seriously flawed for this purpose. The blind spot in this measure is that it almost completely ignores the rate at which a nation’s natural resources are being depleted, and its biodiversity is being degraded. The Dasgupta Review, commissioned by the UK Treasury and published today argues, that better economic measures need to be in place to avoid catastrophe for our planet.

You will be relieved to know there is an abridged version of the report as well as the full report. Both are available here.

What are the economic assets of the Yare Valley that might be more highly valued? The present flooding of the Valley shows its ability to store large quantities of water and so reduce flooding and damage downriver. Its vegetation also helps by slowing the rate of water run-off. At all times the Valley is a key wildlife corridor for flora and fauna; and its wetlands act as a carbon sink. To add to all this are the mental and physical health benefits its green space ecosystems confer upon us all (See p 24 of abridged version of review). This should surely add up to a tidy sum.

Covid19 takes up almost all the news space at the moment, and many important issues are not getting the attention they deserve. We all need to make the ideas in this review more widely known, and help to ensure that it is a real milestone on our way to a sustainable future. Safeguarding and extending our green space has economic value!