Some wildlife pictures from our recent trip to the West Country
Brimstone 
Meerkat 
Kestrel 
Barn Owl
Painted Lady 
Otter 
Painted Lady 
Fallow Deer 
Wallaby
Little Egret 
Grey Heron 
Black-tailed Godwit 
Flamingos 
Greylag Goose 
Coot 
Robin
Archive for the ‘Devon’ Category
West Country Wildlife
Posted: November 11, 2019 in Birds, Butterflies and Moths, cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Natural History, UKTags: West Country Wildlife
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West Country 2019 (19): Back to Bowling Green Marsh
Posted: October 28, 2019 in Birds, Devon, Natural History, UKTags: Black-Tailed Godwits, Common Sandpiper, RSPB Bowling Green Marsh
Our final day before we head back towards London. So we head off towards Exeter and Bowling Green Marsh RSPB reserve in search of a Long-billed Dowitcher, a wader that is at home in the USA.
Our first stop is the hide but apart from some ducks there is little else to see and we are told that the Dowitcher is on the estuary, so we head down the lane and, together with a number of other birders, began to scan the waders on the mud. Unfortunately, most of the birds are on the far side of the estuary makes identification more difficult.
Eventually, Sue and I decided to go and check the other wader roost on the River Clyst, which joins the Exe here. There are lots of Redshank and we get some very good views of a Kingfisher fishing in the channel and later perched on a post. I also saw a Greenshank fly out from a creek.
Redshank 
Grey Heron
But still no sign of the Dowitcher, so we make our way back to Bowling Green Marsh where we did find a Common Sandpiper and some Black-tailed Godwits.
Common Sandpiper 
Black-tailed Godwit
West Country 2019 (10): Bude Marshes and Tamar Otter Centre
Posted: October 14, 2019 in Birds, cornwall, Devon, Mammals, Natural History, UKTags: Bude Marshes, Otters
One morning Sue and I went to Bude Marshes, an area of marsh and reed-beds on the edge of the town of Bude in North Cornwall. This nature reserve is Bordered on one side by Bude canal and on the other by a river.
A Cetti’s Warbler was calling stridently from the reed-bed and we had a brief view of a Kingfisher as it flashed past. 2 Chiffchaffs were also seen, this once summer visitor is now increasingly overwintering, especially in the Southaven’s and south-west. Apart from these sightings, the most striking sighting was the flock of over 300 Canada geese present on the canal.
Grey Heron 
Grey Heron 
Canada Geese
In the afternoon we went to Tamar Otter and Wildlife Centre, a rather eclectic collection of animals in a beautiful valley setting. Its free-roaming Fallow Deer (a native species) and Wallabies (not a native species although there was once a feral population in Derbyshire) are semi-tame and some will approach you for food.
There are a number of European Otters at the centre. The centre was a breeding colony during the 20 year reintroduction programme (which ended around 2000) and now houses captive bred and rescued Otters. The centre also has Asian short-clawed otters, which unlike European otters live in family groups – the largest family in the centre has 17 members.
Asian Short-toed Otter 
Asian Short-toed Otter 
Eurasian Otter 
Eurasian Otter
West Country 2019 (8): Birdwatching the Exe
Posted: October 10, 2019 in Birds, Devon, Natural History, UKTags: Common Sandpiper, River Exe, RSPB Bowling Green Marsh
Day 5: Our location today was the RSPB reserve at Bowling Green Marsh, just outside Exeter in Devon. The reserve sits at the confluence of two rivers, the River Exe and the River Clyst.
There were around 500 Black-tailed Godwits and 100 Eurasian Teal on the scrape with smaller numbers of Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler and Pintail. Sue spotted a Common Sandpiper on one of the islands and a Marsh Harrier over the Reed-bed. Also present were Grey Heron and Little Egret. Walking back to the car along the River Exe, we saw more Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Eurasian Curlew feeding along the mudflats.
Statues and Monuments: Sir Francis Drake
Posted: August 8, 2019 in Devon, History, UKTags: Plymouth, Sir Francis Drake
This monument to Sir Francis Drake, Elizabethan explorer, privateer, slave-trader and naval Admiral can be found on Plymouth Hoo.
In a story, which may be apocryphal, it is recorded that Drake received the news of the approaching Spanish invasion fleet, the Armarda, whilst playing bowls on the Hoo. He is reported to have told his companions that there was plenty of time to finish their game and still beat the Spaniards too. A combination of the English navies tactics and the weather conspired to force the fleet to sail north up the English coast and around Scotland in order to escape. More than a third of the fleet of 130 ships never made it back to Spain.
The Anchor from HMS Ark Royal, an aircraft carrier was presented by the Royal Navy to the City of Plymouth in April 1980
The Messenger is a large bronze statue of a crouching woman which stands outside The Theatre Royal in Plymouth. It is by the Cornish sculptor Joseph Hillier.
It is based on an actress in the play Orthello, which Hillier observed when attending a rehearsal at the theatre. Others have been less kind dubbing it as a skateboarder, a surfer or even a female sumo wrestler.
Plymouth Aquarium
Posted: July 31, 2019 in Devon, Natural History, UKTags: Plymouth, Plymouth Aquarium
The National Maritime Aquarium in Plymouth is based around 3 large tanks. The first depicts the coastal region off the British coast, the second the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the third which contains sharks. In addition, there are a number of other displays of sea-life from around the world.
The harbour trip around Plymouth’s harbours leaves from Sutton Harbour near to the place from where the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to the new world in 1620 in the ship Mayflower, where they founded the colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Making our way past the Hoo, where Frances Drake is reputed to have been playing bowls in 1588 when he heard that the Spanish Armada fleet was approaching England.
Plymouth Hoo
Crossing Plymouth Sound, a large natural harbour, we first pass the Old Dockyard and Provisioning centre, which has now been converted to residential and business use.
We then pass the current Naval Harbour with ships being maintained or awaiting decommissioning.
Travelling back across the sound there are views of HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the two new Aircraft Carriers in the Royal Navy, which is moored outside the harbour.
Statue and monuments: RA Commando memorial, Plymouth
Posted: July 29, 2019 in Devon, UKTags: Plymouth
Just outside the entrance to the Royal Citadel at Plymouth Hoo stands the memorial to 29 Commando Royal Artillery, who are based at the Citadel. It was unveiled in 2011 and commemorates the men of 29 Commando who have died in service since the regiment was formed in 1962.
