They've been here before

I spent a wonderful afternoon on the low-tide foreshore of the Severn Estuary yesterday with Professor Martin Bell, and the Living Levels team from the Gwent Levels. 

Incredible to see lots of crane footprints from around 8,000 years ago...

And human footprints - (approx a size eight I thought!) preserved in the silty clay.    

These are both from the Mesolithic era - and have survived under subsequent layers which have now been washed away by the tides.    The amazing thing is that they are so ephemeral and are being constantly lost and uncovered.     Current thinking is that there are lots of human footprints here because there was a settlement and people were walking regular routes across the mud.   

Whether the cranes were feeding or roosting here is not known. 

About the author

Damon’s role is to act as the hub of the project - making sure everyone involved knows what is going on and that it is all running smoothly. He is also responsible for project community awareness work in Somerset, construction of the release enclosure, and running the post release monitoring work in Somerset.  Damon works alongside the RSPB reserve teams in Somerset.