Sunday, 29 April 2012

Flood Alert

On Sunday (29th April), the river - to the west of the A34 - was put on flood alert:  http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/34681.aspx?area=061WAF17Ock&page=1&type=Town&term=abingdon
The river  currently has a height of 0.5m (at the time of writing)  and it is still within it's typical range of 0 to 0.8m (but well below the record of 1.7m, recorded in 2007):
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/136495.aspx?stationId=7081
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Some of the wildlife is struggling with this sudden downpour - their nests may not yet be flooded, but the kingfishers would be struggling to catch fish in such fast water and this moorhen nest seems to have been abandoned:
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Yet, perhaps surprisingly, the water voles are still active and even swimming up and down stream:
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Or peering, seemingly apprehensively, out of their burrows:
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Whilst the Ock water voles are coping with the high water levels, other colonies may not be so lucky.  The water voles in Radley Brook not only have to cope with mink in the vicinity, but once again, the Thames has burst it's banks:
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And with yet more rain forecast for the forthcoming week, life is only going to get harder for everything that depends - one way or other - upon the river for it's survival.

4 comments:

  1. no alert as far as i can see!!!

    http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/34681.aspx?area=061FWF17AbgdnOck&page=1&type=River&term=ock

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  2. Hello,

    Thanks for the comment - you're right, the Ock up to Abingdon is on flood alert:

    http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/34681.aspx?area=061WAF17Ock&page=1&type=Town&term=abingdon

    But through Abingdon itself (to the east of the A34) is not - let's hope it stays that way.

    Thanks for the correction, the blog will be updated.

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  3. Thanks Richard!!

    Martin G

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  4. the river hasn't flooded but the ditch near tesco has - so the field is currently underwater - although that does happen often so not really anything for people to worry about.

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