The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Alkborough as might be imagined has taken the brunt of the flood with the whole area covered in water to depths of up to 10 feet; the car park by the sewage works is currently under 8 feet of water and as this is behind the sea defences this is unlikely to change in the near future; the sewage works itself is also under water and most of the Flats is still very deep; even after the water drops however, the paths on the higher banks are covered in huge amounts of debris including whole trees and mounds of rotting reed and other rubbish so the closure may be ongoing for some time;
http://pewit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/alk ... ods-2.html
http://pewit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/alk ... oding.html

Unbelievable-the power of nature
Great photos

I was standing on the river bank opposite the south end of Alk Flats between 7 and 9 that evening, and could hear the water going over the Alkborough bank, sounding like Niagara Falls. Birds were being displaced while I was there. I saw wrens flying out of the last bits of reeds sticking up from the water, and the bank top our side was studded with waders including dunlin, normally rare this side - it was a bit difficult to see much of course, being dark. They were all gone by morning.

Andrew

As the water has fallen the destruction is becoming all too apparent. Miles of fencing uprooted and dragged up to 1km with tons of debris piled up against hedges and in ditches. One of the worst effects has been the deposition of 1cm of silt over the whole site. In the first hide from the car park the water had forced its way in through the flaps and left 2cms of glutinous silt all over the floor piling the benches up in one corner and reaching half way up the notice boards.
As people may appreciate there is a huge amount of work to do before the site is accessible fully. EA plan to pump the estimated million? Gallons of water from behind the inner sea bank when they can get a pump close enough.
The site was particularly good for Brown Hares but all of these seem to have succumbed to the flood. Numbers of waders and wilfowl exploiting the newly flooded areas are increasing. An overall view of the site can still be had from Julians Bower, the maze near the church, where the Marsh Tit is still in residence.