WEIR ... WEEK EIGHT

As I write, this time last night, I was chasing a sunset and watching a full moon rise in the sky. Outside now there is little to be seen in the cloud darkened, rain drizzmal evening.

It has been like this most of the day, so no photographs taken, no Sunday surprises, so ...

I thought it a good time to catch up on what has been happening on the weir project.

Going back just a week and the lower weir was being reshaped in a drastic way ...

The river had been diverted into a narrow channel, enabling the guys to re-sculpt the river floor.

Once more a mixture of three ton stones, combined with rocks of smaller sizes were being carefully put into place. This is the area where the trout and eels were rescued just a few weeks ago.

Down river a substantial silt filter was bulging with the disturbed mud and finer grains that the work up river had created. This is then scooped out and taken up onto dry land. Also, finer earth is being used to re-sculpt the river bank to make it seem in the future "more natural". This after all the trees were felled to allow access at certain points along the bank. But nature can heal fairly easily and within months this now seemingly bare earth will begin to green over. By this time next year one will hardly see the scars made by such machines as these ...

But meanwhile ... yet more deliveries of three ton rocks were arriving on site ...

The above was just one single truck load, approximately about fifteen tons of stone!

And now to bring you up to date to what was happening in the river last Friday.

The massive rocks were being loaded one by one into another machine. It was amazing to watch the dexterity of the driver, as he carefully scooped up each 3 ton rock ...

then ... with it carefully balanced in the bucket, swung it around and deposited it ...

in the back of the vehicle that would then drive into the river and upend its load.

All this work has been understandably noisy, but, not for much longer.

The guys tell me that there are only a couple of weeks left to go. They are just about there with the re-sculpting of this area of river-scape. But there is all the tidying up of the site to be dealt with and all the heavy plant has to be decontaminated before going off site so they don't transfer any unwelcome organisms to the next area. Talking of which, there has been sightings of at least five mink along this stretch of the Ebbw. This non native predator (often mistaken for our native otter)  is a threat to local wildlife and will no doubt be paying much attention to the newly installed eel runs. Another non native but very invasive plant species, Himalayan Balsam has spread rapidly along the banks of the river. It is a very beautiful weed, much loved by bees, to the detriment of our local flora.

One type of bird in particular has been put out by all this re-arrangement of its local habitat. A heron who could be regularly seen on one particular rock at the edge of the water, is visibly confused by the fact his favourite fishing spot is no longer there. No doubt he and the other herons will find possibly more suitable sites amongst all the new rocks.

Of all the thousands of tons of rock and boulder added to this stretch of the river ...

I'm sure they won't find it too difficult, in fact they will be spoilt for choice.

So folk just two weeks to go and the work will be complete.