Hello Everyone!
With Tom away on a tree health course for most of the week and the office team away for SWARM (south west area regional meeting – yes, perhaps a little too pleased with that acronym) and a Devon Birds Conference the residential volunteers have been left to their own devices... what could possibly go wrong?
It has been a rather wet week – or so I have observed through the window of our cosy office. As I hear it, the ground has now softened to boot stealing consistency and the fields are sitting inches deep in water, awaiting defenceless socks.
This week the Exminster team has been conducting maintenance on the predator fence. This required one brave volunteer to drive the mower down the outside of the fence (a rather tight space) and another to follow with a bruschutter, catching the areas the mower couldn’t reach. It is important to keep the grass low beside the fence, as even a few stray strands will reduce its efficacy, lowering the voltage to an ouchy as opposed to a #@&*! when accidentally touched by a volunteer (N.B. this not being our official method of measurement).
Let me say a big thank-you again this week to our fantastic work party team, who, undaunted by the rain, risked their wellingtons in the name of wildlife conservation. Over the last few weeks the work party have been putting netting on gateways around the reserve, which are designed to prevent enthusiastic dogs from running under the fences into sensitive area of the reserve.
From late autumn through winter thousands of birds gather to rest and feed on the exposed mud along the Exe Estuary. The Exe and sites like it provide internationally important wintering refuges for ducks, geese and waders, where resident birds are joined by migrants from northern climates such as Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia. Recently a large flock of Brent geese has arrived up river of Exmouth, where they are taking a well earned rest and are refuelling on the rich eel grass beds after a 3,000 mile journey from the Taymyr Peninsula. These impressive winter flocks are a breathtaking sight, however, are also susceptible to accidental disturbance. The advice is to take care and to keep dogs on leads in areas where birds are gathered.
Bowling Green Hide and the nearby Viewing Platform are brilliant locations to watch these birds, with the best views during high tide, when the birds move further up the estuary. Tide timetables can be found online, though there is also a specific timetable for this part of the coastline in Bowling Green hide and at Darts farm. During the high tide count conducted last week we totalled over a thousand wigeon, 500 teal, a little over 400 black-tailed godwit and nearly as many canada geese among many others.
It is not, however, all about numbers. I am very excited to hear of a short-eared owl hanging out by the lagoon on Exminster. This midsized owl with a mottled brown body, pale under-wing and yellow eyes can be seen commonly during the day, hunting on small mammals such as voles. They breed in Northern England and Scotland, however with an influx of continental birds they are seen more widely in winter, particularly on coastal marshes and wetlands.
Have a great weekend!
Laura