After three weeks I know you will all be desperate to hear news of the reserve (apologies for the delay!) needless to say, we have been busy as usual.
Over the last weeks we have spent a fair amount of time at Labrador Bay, tidying up paths and pulling ragwort in anticipation of an auspicious event – the south west regional meeting of the RSPB. The morning was hosted in the beautiful and quaint village of Stokeinteignhead (just north of the reserve), where we had the opportunity to meet with our comrades in conservation and hear the news and developments of the last year from reserves across the region. During the afternoon we took a guided tour of the stunning Labrador Bay, focussing on the fantastic success story of the cirl bunting. Historically found across southern Britain, the cirl bunting experienced a drastic decline due to a loss of food and nest sites as a result of changing farming practices and urban development. However, over the last 25 years, the dedicated cirl bunting team has been working with farmers to re-create habitat, importantly creating barley winter stubble and increased field margins, in order to reverse the fortunes of this beautiful bird. For more information check out the RSPB website: (http://www.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/projects/details/222509-the-cirl-bunting-project).
Over at Powderham (where incidentally you can also spot cirl bunting) we have had an exciting few weeks. The lapwing chicks have now fledged! It has been a privilege to watch these birds grow from little fluff balls to the elegant creatures that fly about the fields at Powderham. Not to say there isn’t a little turbulence on some flights; last week I had the scope on one chick as it crash landed on a coot (after a slight scuffle and both walked away unscathed). The chicks now look very similar to the adults, differing only in white markings on the face and a shorter crest; most telling is their behaviour, which includes a lot of preening and wing stretching. Last week also offered a few surprises as three more chicks, less than a week old, appeared on sight. We will continue to bring you news of the chicks, young and old, in coming weeks.
Additionally over at Powderham, we have been monitoring a pair of Oystercatcher that appeared to be nesting. After what felt like a very long wait (the incubation period for Oystercatcher being longer than that of the Lapwing, between 24 and 39 days) three chicks appeared afoot Powderham. I look forward to following their development over the coming weeks.
Along with the butterflies and dragonflies, the warmer weather is bringing many reptiles out into the open. There are several sheets of corrugated iron placed about the reserve, mostly in the discovery area, under which snakes and other cold-blooded vertebrates can warm themselves in the early morning. Since my arrival I have been eager to see my first snake in the wild, lifting every sheet I passed, to no avail; however last week, in the long grass near Powderham path, a grass snake slithered out (just in time) from under my steel toe-capped boot. So far there have been sightings of grass snake, slow worm and common lizard.
With the invaluable help of our work party volunteers over the past few weeks, we have been working on an addition to the discovery area: a rabbit run! We have dug large pipes into the grass for young children (and slightly older ones...) to crawl through, to see the world from the perspective of a rabbit and get a little closer to nature. Naturally it needed testing, as well as a good clean on the inside:
Phill’s Progress
Ever attentive to his duties as supervisor, it was of course very important to check that Phill had cleaned the pipe thoroughly... and so Tom just had to follow. The project should be completed today, with three pipes entrenched and covered with willow, ready for visitors (and volunteers) to enjoy.
This week we have had two extra helpers here on work experience. Oscar and Jasper have been a fantastic help and showed great enthusiasm as we introduced them to the variety of work entailed in the management of the Exe Estuary Reserves.
We started the week at Labrador bay, pulling ragwort and digging up an information sign that had been used as a chew toy by the resident ponies. Thanks to our helpers we filled several bags of ragwort, only then slightly regretting our efficiency as we had to haul it a fair distance up a steep slope back to the car park - I stopped a few times to “look at the view”. Also this week, we took a look at our new weed wiper, (new to our reserve, picked up from our amazing colleagues at the Ouse Washes Reserve) and dismantled the old weed wiper; built post and rail fences; trimmed and raked the path hedges; added a fence to the pond dipping area and an extension to the bug hotel; as well as conducted the regular surveys.
Our two helpers this week really got to grips with the fascinating and sometimes frustrating task of surveying dragonfly. Dragonflies in particular can be difficult to identify as, unlike damselflies, they are strong, speedy fliers and rarely land conveniently in view. However, we had good weather for the survey (calm and sunny) and were able to identify blue azure, banded demoiselle and large red damselflies; emperor, black-tailed skimmer, broad-bodied chaser, four spotted chaser and southern hawker dragonflies.
Throughout the week we have noticed a new addition to the soundtrack of our outdoor office, a familiar noise during summer and autumn, the chirruping of grasshoppers. The discussion of the week has been how to differentiate grasshoppers and crickets, not being certain of what we were hearing. Eventually (after looking it up) we established that crickets generally have long antennae and are crepuscular (come out at dusk), whereas grasshoppers tend to have short antennae and be out during the day. What I find most fascinating is how these insects produce noise, a process called stridulation, where they rub their wings together or a leg against the edge of a forewing.
Jiminy Grasshopper
We have certainly had an interesting week; I hope Jasper and Oscar have enjoyed their experience at the reserve, and wish them the best of luck for the future.
Until next time!
Laura