Hello everyone!
And a warm welcome to Devon’s new Visitor Experience Manager, Sammy Fraser, who has recently joined the office team. Pete now has a full panel to score his electro-swing dance moves.
With the breading season now passed, over the last few weeks we have been busy clearing the paths around the reserve. Armed with every cutting tool in the shed, we have taken the opportunity to cut back the hedges and open up the paths, a job that brings us in close proximity to tasty treats and prickly thorns. While working we have been enjoying the fruits of the season, harvesting blackberries for jam, sloes for gin, rosehip for syrup and apples for elevenses. (But don’t worry, we left plenty for the birds!) The apples in particular have been fantastic this year, with branches heavily laden; this is good news birds, both as a direct food source and for attracting insects. They are a great addition to a food table in the garden; if stored in a cool dry place, they will keep happily over the winter, and can be put out to give the birds a helping hand later in the year when the ground becomes harder and food more scarce.
During the last few weeks I was surprised to see a dramatic increase in the number of some dragonfly species about the reserve. Seemingly wherever we are working, common darters and migrant hawker are not far away, circling above our heads and perching on nearby fences, showing off their striking colouring. The first adults emerge in late July and can been seen through to November. Although predominantly seen near water, both species are also regular visitors to gardens, feeding on insects caught on the wing, so keep an eye out, and try looking up!
Out in the fields we have been making the most of the unseasonably warm and dry weather, working hard to finish repairs on gates and fences while the ground is still firm enough to take the vehicles on site. That, however, is shortly to change, as Tom and I replaced the sluice boards in the ditches surrounding the reserve to hold in the autumn rain and raise the water levels for the returning ducks, geese and waders. We are beginning to see numbers of birds arrive on the reserve, with larger groups of redshank and godwit, and curlew roosting in their hundreds on the lagoon at the corner of Station Road. I was delighted to see the first snipe this week; resident across most of Britain, Snipe are overwintering guests to the south west. With their brilliant camouflage they can be difficult to spot in the grass, and have so far demonstrated a proclivity for appearing out of nowhere as we stumbled across them in the fields. If you would like to get a closer look at the migrant birds as they arrive on the Exe Estuary, check out the RSPB avocet cruises which run from Sunday the 8th November to Monday the 22nd February. More information and booking details can be found on the RSPB events page.
Have a great weekend!
Laura