Guided walk to Wistman's Wood with Penny and Jess

On Friday morning I had a very enjoyable walk from Prince Hall Hotel to Wistman's Wood with Penny Johnstone and her daughter Jess, who were great company, as is everyone who stays at Prince Hall.  Penny particularly wanted to go to Wistman's Wood as she had heard a lot about this place.  It's a strange remnant grove of oaks and rowans isolated in the middle of Dartmoor, growing into twisted shapes out of the boulder-strewn hillside and hanging with ferns, mosses and lichens.  We walked across Muddilake Newtake to Littaford Tors, then dropped down to the wood and back down the valley to Two Bridges.  Conditions were fantastic, with bright sunshine and a warm breeze.  The wildlife was quiet, as might be expected given this week's heatwave, but we did hear a Grasshopper Warbler reeling in the gorse south of the wood, and see a Wheatear, plenty of Skylarks and a Golden-ringed Dragonfly.  There were also crystal clear views across the central basin and down to the southern moor.  The only sounds were the wind and the whinnying of wild ponies.


Here are some pictures from the walk.

 Highland cow in Muddilake Newtake.

 Jess at the north eastern edge of Wistman's Wood.

 The view in from the edge of the wood.

 Wistman's Wood from the south.

 Longaford Tor, looking from Littaford Tor.  The cone of Longaford is a distinctive landmark visible from many places in the central area of Dartmoor.

Penny and Jess on Littaford Tor.

Family environmental activities in the Tamar Valley

On Wednesday I led a morning of family-orientated nature activities for the Tamar Valley Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  It was blazing hot and we were glad to be able to duck into the cool of the shady woods.  After a slow start the event was quite well attended.  It was quiet birdwise, but the children heard both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and saw abundant wood ants, comma butterflies and a southern hawker dragonfly.


After a walk in the woods, taking part in nature awareness activities such as a mirror walk, the children built mini dens back at our gazebo base, and made craft insects using wooden clothes pegs.  Thank you to Ben, Emma, Tom, Milly, Chloe and the other children who participated keenly despite the heat and their end of term fatigue.  Thanks also to Lara and Ian of Floating Lime Media who organised the event.  Here are some photos of the morning.

Ben found Cinnabar Moth caterpillars on these ragwort plants.

 Ben and Emma Lewis with one of the dens that the children built.

 Emma showing us the butterfly that she made.

Keen birdwatcher Tom on the mirror walk.

Blue skies

Now summer has finally arrived and we've had a week of hot, clear weather.  Here are some photos from Huccaby and Green Down, Holne to prove it.  The farmers have been busy getting the hay in, and the birds have breathed a sigh of relief and gone very quiet, preoccupied with feeding and moulting instead of proclaiming their presence, defending their territories and trying to keep themselves and their offspring warm and dry. 


The predominant colours are now blue, blonde and deep green, with the flowers into the late summer purple phase of foxglove, heather and thistle.  Conditions seem to have suited the foxgloves this year and they're putting on a vivid magenta show almost everywhere you look.


The other day my wife and I pulled up the car under a Hobby sitting on a telephone wire, mobbed by frantic swallows.  I think it's only the second time I've ever seen one at rest - they're usually on the wing when you see them.  This one had probably just made a failed attempt to catch a swallow and was sitting contemplating how it could improve its technique next time.

Nightjar walk in the Tamar Valley

Here are some photos from a Nightjar walk that I led at Devon Great Consols, the old arsenic mine near Gunnislake in the Tamar Valley, on 14th July.  Fortunately this was the first suitable evening for some time, and we were rewarded with good views of two males, with extended periods of 'churring' close by.  Warm, muggy evenings with plenty of moths on the wing are the best times to look for Nightjars, so needless to say there have been very few opportunities over the last month or so, and I dread to think what the torrential rain has done to these ground nesting birds this season.  This particular night was just right - overcast but warm and calm.  After the show we had an atmospheric walk back through the woods in the dark.

Thank you to the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for organising this event.

Murky!

This is the 'atmospheric' view of the avenue leading to Prince Hall last Tuesday when I met Gary Spillane at the hotel for a guided walk.  Less than ideal conditions for nature watching, shall we say.  Still, Gary was very cheery and positive and happy with fleeting views of Redstarts, Goldcrests and not a lot else.  This weather really is the limit.  How did we skip summer and go straight to November?  I keep checking the five day forecast, grasping vainly for an increase in temperature and a drop in the wind, but it's not coming.


On a more upbeat note, I saw a Hobby on my commute to Plymouth two days ago.  I have been thinking about an informal list of birds seen on my way to and from work over the last few months, and it's not bad: Redstart, Wheatear, Grey Wagtail, Great crested Grebe, Teal, Mandarin, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Hobby, Osprey, Merlin and Cuckoo among others.  Would anyone else like to get in touch with their 'commute list'?

Permission to listen

I was fortunate to be invited to speak to students on the Natural Building course at Schumacher College, Dartington today. We had a very interesting and rewarding session on birds and buildings, looking at bird song and habitats, their nesting habits, how birds use man made structures and how new buildings can be designed with birds and other wildlife in mind.  I was reminded how fortunate I am to be able to help other people connect with nature and the world around them through birds.  People always appreciate the opportunity to be quiet and still and be helped in beginning to unravel the bewildering mesh of sounds they hear around them in spring woodland.  Just being given the 'permission to listen' is a valuable thing in  itself, and something these course participants (below) were grateful for.  Many thanks to Robert Somerville, the course leader, for inviting me to contribute to a very rewarding morning.

Time to catch up

Hi there!  Things have been busy since I last posted - there's so much to catch up on.  Spring has really happened now, even up on Dartmoor, and the last summer migrants are finally here.  It's starting to feel like summer now, but we had several weeks of very cold, windy weather in April and the early part of May.


Since I last posted I've had guided walks with visitors from Australia and Thailand, who between them unfortunately experienced some of the worst of Dartmoor spring weather, but still managed to see some interesting birds, including Kestrel, Peregrine, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher and Cuckoo.  Other birds I've seen on Dartmoor recently include Great Crested Grebe, Common Sandpiper, Hobby, Tree Pipit, Kingfisher, Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher.


It's bluebell time now, so here are some photos from near Hexworthy, taken yesterday.

 The white blur is my spaniel, Dot!

 Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly on a rowan leaf

 Hawthorn blossom

 Broom flowers

 My son Joe on the bank of the West Dart, trying to catch trout fry.

 I flushed a Kingfisher from the willows here yesterday.

Deancombe and Down Tor, 21st April

Here are some pictures from yesterday's walk in the Burrator area.  Windy and fresh, as every day seems to be at the moment, but still some great sights, including Redstart and Wheatear (5 males at Down Tor), giant quartz crystals, ruined farms, lambs, foals, a badger sett, feathers from a Magpie killed by a bird of prey (possibly Peregrine) and some magnificent views.

Grace knocked her head on the branch of a lichen-festooned hawthorn and a Mistle Thrush flew quietly away.  We found this nest with five eggs hidden amongst the curtains of string-of-sausages lichen.  What a magical spot for a nest!

 Looking towards Burrator Reservoir from Down Tor.

 Grace and Gus being deer on Down Tor.

 Woodpecker hole (presumed Green) in a dead beech with magnificent bracket fungus attached.

Sheeps Tor in a fast moving patch of sunlight.

Testimonial from the Harrises

Not usually one to blow my own trumpet, so I'll let someone else do it for me.  This is what Steve and Ann Harris had to say about their recent guided walk with me at Prince Hall (see previous post):

Over the years we have been on quite a few bird watching and wild life walks and, really, our evening with Richard is up there with the very best of them. His enthusiasm, attention to detail and willingness to answer any question made our walk with him a great experience. He opened our eyes to many different aspects of Dartmoor and we will be queuing up for more as soon as we return to Prince Hall Hotel. Well done for finding him and adding him to this wonderful hotel’s many assets!!

Osprey and more

I was lucky enough to see an Osprey on 30 March, rising up out of the West Dart valley near Brownberry, and circling slowly north on the thermals towards Laughter Tor.


Then a trip to South East Cornwall over Easter produced Red Kite, Eider (waddling around amongst the tourists on a busy Looe beach!) and a fine adult male Peregrine.


Now the weather has turned sharper and more blustery, with some pretty fierce hail showers yesterday, but the summer migrants are starting to make it up onto Dartmoor in bigger numbers now, with plenty of Blackcaps and a few Willow Warblers, and a lone Swallow over Holne Moor today.

Guided walk with Ann and Stephen Harris

A fantastic walk, this one, on a very warm and still evening.  I met the Harrises at Prince Hall Hotel and took them on a leisurely three hour walk up the West Dart to Prince Hall Rocks and back in time for dinner.  Some of the highlights of a hugely enjoyable evening included Tortoiseshell butterfly, Common Lizard, an early Swallow and some late Fieldfares, Raven and Siskin, as well as a beautiful sunset (see below).  My guests were lovely company and seemed to enjoy their evening as much as I did.  

If you would like to arrange a guided walk like this one please contact me on 

dartbirds@gmail.com .