The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Not much to do with birds but I think the volunteers and others who are working through the night at Donna Nook to help seal pups get to higher ground in the dunes are doing a splendid job in very difficult circumstances.

John

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Lincolnshire Birds https://www.flickr.com/photos/120340949 ... 8078912016
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Contact: recorder_north@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

High tide is around now (8pm) so I guess it will be too late for any that weren't shifted during the day today. It seems to me to be a real irony that the fence which is there to protect seals from visitors puts seal pups at risk of drowning. I guess the answer it to move the fence right back further up the dunes so the pups can get themselves out of danger.

Perhaps a new access from the back of the dunes in the temporary field car park; that confined visitors to a higher up location might be a safer solution for the seal pups.

This from the Donna Nook Facebook page

Please cancel any plans you had for visiting Donna Nook.
22.00hrs. Just returned from Donna Nook - a scene of devastation. At 17.00hrs (2 hours before high tide), the water was already lapping round the foot of the dunes and rising very quickly. We opened the 5 gates in the fence but it soon became apparrent that this would be insufficient so we set to and started cutting holes in the fence - we were soon joined in the dunes by lots of seals, so that getting around by torchlight became quite dangerous. We continued cutting holes in the fence until rising waters and dimming torches drove us back. At this point, at least two of the huts, including the big green information hut were moving. We retreated at 19.30 to fetch more torches and returned about 20.30 - the water level had dropped back beyond the fence, so avoiding the many seals in the dunes, including some mums and pups (great to see them still together), we surveyed the damage (I'll post some pictures tomorrow evening) and checked that there were no seals in obvious distress; not surprisingly, there were several pups calling. Over the next few days, Trust staff and volunteers will be working to clear up the mess and rescue displaced seals where we can. There are seals everywhere and we would like to devote our efforts to sorting things out as quickly as possible. To this end, please don't visit the seals for the next week or so - there is no safe viewing area, there is barely any fence. We will be back there at first light tomorrow to do some more sorting before the morning high tide. We will try to keep you all informed and thanks for all your good wishes - I'll tell the seals tomorrow....

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Lincolnshire Birds https://www.flickr.com/photos/120340949 ... 8078912016
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Contact: recorder_north@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

Just got back from a visit to Pyes Hall from 8 till 10 this morning. There are indeed scenes of devastation down there.

The seal fence to the east of Stonebridge car park has either been washed away or cutaway to allow the seals to get out of the water. Part of the path has been washed away too. It would be very unwise to plan a visit there to see the seals for the next few days at least. It will take a lot of sorting out. There are indeed seals everywhere. Including the old car park area, the dunes to the north of the car park and the track behind the dunes down to Pyes Hall. The flatter areas between the main dunes and the front of the dunes north of the car park have been flooded in several places and are now a series of seal ponds. Water is seeping through the dunes onto to the track in places.

From my point of view the most surprising thing was that around the area of the Isy Shrike bushes up to the most northerly RAF red flag at least 25 feet of dunes have been totally washed away. Last nights surge came very close to over topping and cutting through the dunes in this area and a couple of other spots. Another 15 feet would do it in some places.

The three large RAF orange and grey pepper pots near Pyes Hall that acted as a marker to the northern end of the bombing range have been washed away. To of them are in the seal sanctuary area. Who knows where the third is?

Good job there is a new seawall. It was not tested as the Pyes Hall sluice has not been opened yet.

Hi Phil, thanks for the update, I hope my caravan at Saltfleet is OK.
It sounds as though the EA might not need permission for the planned breach if the sea makes it's own.
Geoff

Perhaps those advocating a footbridge at Pyes Hall now understand the refusal to do so by EA
and Saltfleet and Tetney are very likely to have flooded if the new defences had not been completed.
The freshwater marsh north of Rimac is flooded but the orchid marsh survived by a whisker (c5cms )
A salutory lessen of the power of surge tides and very sad for the seals at Donna Nook and the Norfolk/Suffolk coast
where several nature reserves have been affected.
regards John.