All washed out by Kirsty Jackson

The recent wet weather has reminded us of how severe weather events are making a huge impact on the environment. The fields around are sporting new water features and the rivers are running high with roiling chocolate brown water.

But there are impacts on the wildlife of the county and not all of them affect the wildlife in adverse ways.

The extreme flooding events that have been experienced in the UK over the past few years have happened at differing times of the year, creating a multitude of problems. Extreme spring and summer events are arguably the most devastating for our wildlife, destroying nests, flooding dens and stripping areas of important food sources particularly invertebrates that our birdlife depends upon. Wet weather means that the softly feathered barn owl cannot hunt and the young animals can be left exposed to both the environment and predation. Winter flooding can destroy habitats and aquatic wildlife such as fish can find themselves literally high and dry as floods recede.

But to some extent flooding is not a new phenomenon and occur naturally. We have increased the frequency and effect of flooding by changing the climate and by building upon and altering the natural coping mechanisms that nature has cleverly designed. Even us humans have exploited these natural seasonal events, water meadows were used to make the most of increased water levels to enrich the soil and create lush meadows. The floodwaters also help redistribute certain plant species transported to new areas on the flood water.

Ironically, at the moment there is much concern over the numbers of wintering and breeding waders and many fields are being flooded in a controlled way to increase habitats for lapwings, curlew, snipe, redshank and other waders. Water levels are raised to create splashy conditions over the winter and spring; these levels are reduced in the summer. Shallow pools of water are created which increases the numbers of invertebrates. This not only benefits the wader population but also species such as the increasingly threatened tree sparrow, which has a stronghold in Cumbria.

Why not visit one of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s wetlands, Drumburgh Moss Nature Reserve? Find out more about what you can see at the nature reserve and how to get there at http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/drumburgh-moss.html