Dowlais the sad story of why waders fail here
While I have tried to be upbeat throughout this blog, there is no getting away from the fact that both lapwings and redshanks appear to have failed to fledge successfully again this year.
While not the whole story I suspect that a lack of water management may. be an important factor
These pictures really illustrate this better than any words of mine.
Between December and March we endured the wettest winter for some time and I started the year with very high hopes.
Mid December 2019
The situation in March was particularly promising,
Views from the side track and then the corner looking across from the seawall.
This corner view was then used to take pictures at regular intervals with my phone resting on the same fencepost each time
16th March below
31st March
16th April
you can see the individual rhynes showing up
12th May not long now till the chicks hatch !
26th May chicks need access to plenty of wet insect filled areas now but Oh dear they have gone
I saw one lapwing chick on one morning and suspect that none were fledged. As to redshanks I did not see any chicks at all.
As to why this happens. I think it is because there is simply no money for English Nature to do anything about it. There budget has been cut by two thirds in the last few years. Unfortunately we have a government that simply does not care about the environment and I very much fear that things are going to get worse.
I started this blog partly to show the people of Clevedon that this area actually exists as most did not even know, despite it being adjacent to the town.
One of the effects of lockdown, however, has been a huge increase in footfall as people, desperate for somewhere to get outside, have discovered Dowlais. I hope that this will be enough to help prevent it being built upon but I have my doubts, and here's why....
At the end of my road in Clevedon there used to be a community hall and some shops. These were knocked down in order to build a new hospital 10 years ago. In fact the hospital has not been built and we are now told that far from needing it we are going to get a housing estate instead. If hospitals are regarded as unimportant at a time like this then what chance nature.
Sorry to get political, I have tried to avoid this but sometimes you just despair when lied to again and again.
Back to pictures of wildlife next time
While not the whole story I suspect that a lack of water management may. be an important factor
These pictures really illustrate this better than any words of mine.
Between December and March we endured the wettest winter for some time and I started the year with very high hopes.
Mid December 2019
The situation in March was particularly promising,
Views from the side track and then the corner looking across from the seawall.
This corner view was then used to take pictures at regular intervals with my phone resting on the same fencepost each time
16th March below
31st March
16th April
you can see the individual rhynes showing up
12th May not long now till the chicks hatch !
26th May chicks need access to plenty of wet insect filled areas now but Oh dear they have gone
I saw one lapwing chick on one morning and suspect that none were fledged. As to redshanks I did not see any chicks at all.
As to why this happens. I think it is because there is simply no money for English Nature to do anything about it. There budget has been cut by two thirds in the last few years. Unfortunately we have a government that simply does not care about the environment and I very much fear that things are going to get worse.
I started this blog partly to show the people of Clevedon that this area actually exists as most did not even know, despite it being adjacent to the town.
One of the effects of lockdown, however, has been a huge increase in footfall as people, desperate for somewhere to get outside, have discovered Dowlais. I hope that this will be enough to help prevent it being built upon but I have my doubts, and here's why....
At the end of my road in Clevedon there used to be a community hall and some shops. These were knocked down in order to build a new hospital 10 years ago. In fact the hospital has not been built and we are now told that far from needing it we are going to get a housing estate instead. If hospitals are regarded as unimportant at a time like this then what chance nature.
Sorry to get political, I have tried to avoid this but sometimes you just despair when lied to again and again.
Back to pictures of wildlife next time
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