Happy 2023 everyone! ⭐️
And look who was back to feature on this years garden bird list, a highlight of 2022 - the Black Redstart!
We’ve not seen/noticed this bird since mid-October 🤷♂️ but chances are it’s the same bird and is wintering in the local area.
The video is particularly cool because of the mist coming off the fence in the morning light. Note the Robin song too 🎶
#Devon #birds #wildlife #nature
Beefsteak Fungus 🥩 🍄
Finally, with all this rain we’re seeing mushrooms make an appearance. This is one of the coolest and goriest looking mushrooms which is out now!
Check out this video taken yesterday of what it looks like when you cut open this mushroom. Think it’s look like raw steak? 🍴
#devon #mushroom #fungi #wildlife #nature #walking
📣 NIGHTJAR WALK - 📆 Tuesday 12th July (9pm-11pm) @ Newton Abbot - last few spaces!
We have three spaces left on our Nightjar walk event special, taking place near Newton Abbot - exact location will be revealed on booking.
Join us as we go searching for one of the UKs most bizarre birds. This video of a cheering male was taken just last night at the exact location of the event! We had at least 5 Nightjars as well as our first Glow Worms of the year 🐛.
To enquire about booking a place, please either comment, message or send us an email at [email protected]
£20pp.
#Devon #nature #wildlife #birds #walks #events
We did it! ✅ At least three Cuckoo’s seen today on our walk at Emsworthy Mire, Dartmoor.
Cuckoos are very sensitive to disturbance so we took a very soft approach to finding them; simply sitting & waiting for one to move into view. Several could be heard calling and, with a bit of patience, we got several amazing views both in flight & perched just like this one.
Although our Summer has just begun, Cuckoos will soon be on their way back to Africa! ‘…and then in June, they change their tune. By July, they start to fly’.
It was one of several amazing things seen today, check our story post for more!
#devon #dartmoor #wildlife #nature #birds
Want the chance to see a Cuckoo?
Come and join our walk at Emsworthy Mire, Dartmoor, on Thursday 9th June starting at 10am.
🚶 We'll be exploring this stunning reserve in search of all its incredible wildlife including the amazing Bluebell display, Marsh Fritillaries, Common Redstarts and of course, Cuckoos!
Email us at 📧 [email protected] to book a place!
WILDLIFE QUIZ: 🔊Can you guess what is making this sound? ⁉️
Heard during my walk today through a nice bit of fairly undisturbed woodland.
2 points if you get it in the first 10 seconds
1 point if you get it all all!
Answer to follow in comments.
#Devon #wildlife #nature #walking
Wood Warbler 🏅 seeing one of Devon’s rarest birds was a surprise sighting on a private wildlife walk this week on Dartmoor.
🎶 There is nothing quite like the song of the Wood Warbler. Often described as the last moments of a spinning coin - do you agree?
🌳 Dartmoor woodlands are perfect for them and up until the mid-2010s there used to be a reasonably healthy population. Then. Crash! Numbers across the county plummeted & nobody is quite sure why 🤷
🐶 Nesting on the ground, this bird is very susceptible to disturbance. It’s one of the reasons ALL DOGS must be on a lead ANYWHERE within the Dartmoor National Park between 1st March & 31st July. Didn’t know? You do now & please tell others 🙏
Maybe one day, we could see this lemon coloured beauty spinning coins all over Dartmoor once again, but not without some serious help, starting with us.
#Devon #dartmoor #wildlife #birds #walking
👀 Tell me when you see it……!
While out doing a survey on some local farmland, I stumbled across this incredibly relaxed male Sparrowhawk sat on the edge of the woodland, clearly basking in the sunshine. ☀️
🚹 How do I know it’s a male? Note the slate-grey back with beautifully rufous cheeks & breast. Females lack such rosy features & are generally much more dull - no offence ladies! 🤭
✅ Sparrowhawks are actually quite common but, given there sneaky hunting tactics, they’re rarely spotted by people (unless hunting around your garden bird feeders 😨). While the leaves aren’t on trees, now is your best chance of seeing one!
#Devon #wildlife #birds #nature
These birds just had no fear! 💪
I adore waders but most of the time they’re a tricky bunch to get close too. Not this bunch! This group were very content to walk straight towards us, feeding a mere few metres away, as they busily searched for food on the dropping tide. 🌊
So what are they? The clue is in video - ↪️🪨 Turnstones!!!
In winter they spend most of their time scurrying over rocky shorelines, picking out food from under stones. They can be found on most coastal towns, often in small groups chittering away to each other as they follow the tides in and out.
They’re easily one of the simplest waders to ID and a good looker at that 😉
#Devon #birds #nature #wildlife #waders
🤩 WEASEL!
It’s not often I encounter one of these so I was delighted when my early morning walk on the weekend led to a chance encounter with three of these delightful little sausages 🌭
🍽 Although we were pleased to see them, the locals bird less so who proceeded to mob them. No surprise though as this is the UKs smallest carnivore & would happily eat any small bird, vole or even small rabbit! 🐰
❓Why not a Stoat? Weasel’s lack a black tip to the tail and are much smaller than a Stoat. Just as nutty though 🤪
Most of the time you’ve just got to get lucky with seeing these awesome characters 🍀 let us know if you’ve ever seen one!
#Devon #wildlife #nature #mammals
BITTERN! 🗣 The shouts of excited clients as this ‘bog hen’ walks out from the reeds to bask in morning sunshine ☀️
During a recent walk we managed to encounter one of the UKs most cryptic and hard to see birds. Bitterns are well known for hiding deep in reedbeds, almost impossible to see thanks to their amazing camouflage plumage 🥷
They have many hilarious folk-names but our favourite is the ‘bog bull’ owing to its favoured habitat and incredible booming call which apparently resembles a bull in heat 🐄 🔥
🔻These birds have had a tough time in the UK though; Extinct by 1885, returned ~1911, and just 11 pairs in 1997….. and at last count there were roughly 160 pairs so our encounter goes down as incredibly special 👌
#Devon #birds #nature #wildlife #birdwatching
Not every day you encounter this stunning mammal, the American Mink 🇺🇸
We took our monthly walks group for a special day on the Somerset Levels & had a magic encounter with this mink. It was busy hunting and came up with a Perch 🎣
Although cute looking, mink are a notorious hunter, particularly of Water Vole, and have had decimating consequences for native wildlife ☠️
As the name suggests, mink are non-native & therefore wildlife isn’t adapted to avoid this top predator. So although we enjoyed the moment, in reality we wish they weren’t here! ❌
Want to join our walks? Email us to be added to the mailing list at 📧 [email protected]
#mammals #nature #wildlife #fishing
THISTLES 🌱 Yesterday two Goldfinch were drawn in to our garden by the Spear Thistle which has just gone to seed.
While most people consider thistles a 'weed', I'd argue there are many reasons to allow one or two to grow in your garden each year:
- Insects (including pollinators) love them! A great source of nectar & pollen, ours is covered in different bees 🐝
- Amazing architecture! The plant itself, although prickly, forms quite the sculpture which is super hardy against wind 💨
- Ready made bird feeder! When they produce seed, the birds go mad for them (particularly Goldfinch as shown) 🐦
So hopefully we've made a strong case to love rather than loathe our native thistles - nobody seems to complain when they catch the seed to make a wish 😉
#Devon #wildflowers #birds #nature #wildlife
🦔 HEDGEHOG! After several sightings by our neighbours, it was finally our turn to bump into this mother hedgehog this weekend.
Many associate seeing hedgehogs in daylight as meaning something is wrong, but in Summer, this can be completely normal and usually means you're seeing a female who has young!
Hedgehogs active during mornings and late afternoon are simply doing additional foraging trips to ensure they can produce plenty of milk for young. As long as they look energetic and sprightly, you can be confident it's safe to leave her to it and just enjoy the encounter as we did 👍
#Devon #wildlife #nature #hedgehogs
