A big flood on the Humber, and it’s good news for wildlife.
Alkborough Flats is not a name associated with wildlife, yet. However in Autumn 2006, the flood bank of the Humber estuary was breached and 450 hectares of farmland were flooded. It is all part a huge scheme that will restore some of the Humber estuaries natural flood control basins, while simultaneously creating a haven for wildlife.
It was hoped that birds such as Dunlin, Bar-tailed godwit, Avocet, Lapwings, Redshank, Kingfishers, Barn owls and Marsh harrier would make Alkborough their home, with wilder thoughts turning to bitterns, storks and even ospreys.
There is a small team at the site to oversee the development of new habitats such as salt marsh, wet and dry grassland, reedbeds, mudflats and saline and freshwater lagoons. They also deal with community work/involvement, volunteer recruitment, footpath installation, and monitoring of the flora and fauna.
September 2007 update
The main attraction for bird watchers this summer where the five Spoonbills which stayed for eight weeks over the summer before moving down to Norfolk (one was colour ringed in the Netherlands). All 5 birds roosted in a stand of dead trees at the bottom of the escarpment along with Little Egrets (up to 9) and Grey Herons (max. count of 26).
Duck number increased in the late summer with peak counts of 10 wigeon, 47 Gadwall, 950 Teal, 19 Pintail, 140 Shoveller and 2 Garganey. These numbers are likely to increase as autumn and winter draw in, so look out you never know what might be hiding!
The site has also attracted large numbers of Snipe with a peak of 68 at the beginning of September but also good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits (195), Ruff (50) and the odd scarcer bird with 3 Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Little Stint being recorded.
The site itself is currently undergoing a number of changes. This includes several sections of dead hedgerow and trees being removed to aid the development of the inter-tidal mudflats and saltmarsh, large areas are being put down to grass for grazing and the creation of wet and dry grassland.
2008 will see the opening for a whole new network of footpaths, hides and interpretation around the site.
Wildlife at Alkborough
In the last week of March there was a group of 39 Avocet feeding in the shallow lagoons. Black tailed Godwits have been a regular occurrence and snipe and Jack snipe have both been seen. Large numbers of Lapwing, Curlew and Golden plover have been at the site during February and March with maximum counts of c2000, 200+, c5000 respectively. Other species of wader have been noted including ringed plover, dunlin, redshank and grey plover.
Roe deer and hares have been seen regularly on site and one brimstone butterfly was noted in March.
Location: Alkborough lies on the Humber estuary about 8 miles west of Barton-on-Humber and north of Scunthorpe. Take the A1077 from either.
Grid reference: SE882216
Access to the site
There is currently only one public footpath on site which runs east west through the centre of the reserve which we would ask people to stick too for their own safety and for the benefit of the wildlife. By the end of this year we hope to have a new car park, a new footpath system with associated trails, hides and interpretation in place. Humber Code of Conduct
Click here to see the Humber code of conduct, full of useful information and contacts for anyone visiting the Humber Estuary.
