Allonby Beck - the final update?

Over the past months, I have been reporting on the progress of the Crookhurst Beck at Allonby as it moves down the coast revealing new sedimentsn and new finds. Last Thursday, the Environment Agency cut through a new course for the beck - onto the beach, in the hope the beck will follow a new path - alleviating flooding in the village and taking the beck away from the outfall pipe and road. Some dramatic changes - it will be interesting to see how the beck adapts to its new course.....

Tom will be blogging more about the finds and the implications of these in his blog in the near future, so keep an eye on his site.

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The new cut. 

The barrier between the new and old cousre. 

The diversion of the beck. 

The beck ...no longer.

More sediments revealed by the falling water level/diversion of the beck.

The outfall pipe, where previously the beck had worked its way to. 

The rapidly diminishing pools left by the old beck. 

Bird flu on the Solway

Last weekend we went for a brisk walk along from Mawbray to Allonby. Sadly, one of our favourite walks, was not so favourite when,  after finding the first of five barnacle geese dead on the shore, we realised this was  the result of  the current bird flu outbreak. We also found a ringed whooper swan - a named bird 'Archie' from Caerlaverock. We reported these to Defra (and Caerlaverock WWT) and they will be removed. Walking on towards Allonby it was interesting to see how the beck continues to plough along the coast - and has now been halted by the outfall pipe. More sediments are being revealed and the back wall of the beach has been severely erroded. 

Allonby update

A quick blow on the beach ...Allonby Beck has moved dramatically after this week's rain - ripping through to the outfall. Search Allonby Beck for previous posts on the movement of the beck and the sediments it has revealed and their significance. 

Allonby revisited

A visit to Allonby, on the way to the Mawbray Cheese Shed. It was a dramatic light and once again the beck and immediate surroundings had changed dramatically. This time the bankside of the beck was vegetated showing the importance of rivers in seed dispersal, and the beck itself no longer reached the sea, but disappeared into the beach as the flow was so low. The potential though for it ripping through sediments and continuing along the shore, when we do get some rain, is massive. 

A last blast of the summer ...small copper butterfly.

Colonisation ...

The beck disappears...

Heron...

Oystercatchers...and below. 

 

Spectacular Solway skies

Saturday was a glorious day with some spectacular skies! Allonby beck continues to migrate east in a spectacular fashion! 

Redshank.

Allonby Beck.

There were some spectacular snow showers around.

Allonby to Mawbray

A 'refreshing' walk along the coast today! 

Allonby beck has moved even further along the coast.

A potential hoof print in the holocene sediments.

Glacial till eroded into a pedastel.

Some nice congregations of birds. 

Allonby to Mawbray ..with ice...

Is it really a week ago? Life has been busy, work increasingly so and difficult, so time to blog has been restricted ...but it was a lovely walk, as always form Mawbray to Allonby. The shore was frozen and any ice on the water percolating onto the beach was then washed up onto a frozen tide line. 

Ice patterns. 

Frost on seaweed.

Lots of oystercatchers and curlew, but there was no need to disturb them on such a cold day,
 when they would waste energy flying off....unlike the ill informed dog walker! 

More ice....

Allonby Beck continues to erode the complex Holocene sediments...it's now actively cutting down...

The views weren't too bad either!

..and a little egret by the beck at Allonby.

Raised sediments of Allonby (IV)

There have been some spectacular changes the progression of the beck at Allonby. If you refer back to these posts you'll see what I mean and get a more in depth explanation of what is going on! Click here, here and here.

The panorama gives an idea of the whole site, but distorts proportions.