ALTHOUGH OTHER PARTS OF THE NORTHWEST GOT BADLY FLOODED IN MIDWEEK BY STORM CHRISTOPH, Ribchester was left more or less untouched. The flood barriers went up on Monday and the rain continued all day on Tuesday and Wednesday and some of Thursday but its intensity in the Ribble Catchment wsas obviously less than further to the east and south of here. The river level at Ribchester School peaked at 4.51m in the early hours of Wednesday and then started to fall, a brief upturn around lunchtime after the morning’s heavier rain reacehd us did not last long and soon it was on its way back down to its usual level of around 1m. This was a relief for the folks on the frontline of Greenside and the poor Ribchester Arms, which really does not deserve to be flooded again and by the weekend things were back to normal. It is always interesting to see what the high water has left behind, as well as taken away. The old fridge at red Bank has gone, presumably downstream and there is now a huge tree trunk on the bank just upstream from the ‘Tush’. When I know a storm is coming I get woken up by the rain hammering on my window and can’t help having a quick look at the Enviornment Agency’s website, which reports the river level here. It was nice to be able to relax again and only worry about Covid-19 and Brexit.

*The Ribble in spate from the path to the Roman Baths, this is around 4m deep and running like a train*

The main threat to houses in Ribchester comes from the brooks, rather than the river itself. They back up and creep around the the village. This is Boyce’s Brook, behind our street, which has burst its banks.

*Alexander looks at the hastily deployed flood defences on Greenside in Ribchester.*

The Saturday BTO BirdTrack walk along the river produced 53 species again, this time in the snow, the highlights being a pair of Mandarin that flew downstream at Lower Barn Farm. A young Peregrine caused panic among the many birds on the meadow opposite the allotments early on and a trio of drake Goosanders was very nice! Lapwings had flicked their hard weather switches and were back around the village, with 22 noted. Two Little Egrets and two dabchicks were also on the river from the allotments and the pinkfeet keep coming and three skeins of 26, 9 and 9 (maybe the same last two groups?) flew over, the first two heading west and the third going south. Small birds were generally few, only one Redwing was noted and there were no fieldfares west of the village on my walk today. A group of only four Long-tailed Tits had probably lost some of their family, I haven’t seen a group of this small size since last spring. A kingfisher flew by the school on my way back and there is often a pair of Stock Doves in the two trees on the oposite bank, I wonder of they are going to nest in the old barn that was formerly home to Little Owl?

STORM CHRISTOPH AFTERMATH