I’ll start with the good. As I reported way back in December, the reedbed is as wet as I can remember. A decision was made a few years ago to stop dredging South Milton Stream, the principal source of water into the reserve. The intention being to allow the stream to establish its own depth and width naturally and for water to spill into the reedbed during periods of high flow. There is no doubt that this has been a success with water now flowing across the width of the reedbed and the middle and lower valley acting as a natural floodplain for the first time in thirty years. However, I don’t think I’ll be accessing Marsh Ride any time soon as you can see from the photos above and below!
Now for the bad. Effluent was pouring into the SSSI from South West Water’s adjacent sewage works today, ironically whilst company officers were meeting with South Milton Parish Council. The lower part of the Waste Water Treatment Works is flooded with a large pool of dirty brown water.
This, in turn, is overflowing continuously straight into the reserve. Over 50m of permissive footpath are now saturated with who knows what! Having contracted Giardiasis, a particularly unpleasant intestinal parasite, following a previous spill from the works, I was not impressed!
I suppose I ought to mention the birds! 34 were caught in four drier nets today. The best being 4 Firecrests. Others: 1 Blue Tit, 17 Chiffs, 1 Dunnock, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Great Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Robin, 2 Song Thrush & 1 Wren.
The Early Worm 