Season Greetings everyone!
I’d like to kick off this newsletter by looking back over the season and sharing some of our highlights. As I look back through the diary to write this, I’m heartened by how much we’ve achieved and how many lovely wildlife conversations we’ve had with visitors to local nature reserves recently – if one of these conversations was with you, thanks for stopping by at the wildlife gazebo! We love sharing our passion for nature and connecting people with their local wild spaces.
Grey Plover in winter plumage at Dawlish Warren (Lee Collins)
Days on site have been decidedly chillier recently, so it feels like the perfect tonic to begin by returning to the balmy, late summer days of September.
September is always an exciting month within the team; as the crowds of holiday tourists disperse, we wait eagerly to see new flocks flying in - our overwintering birds returning to the Exe. And this year did not disappoint! When the Exmouth Wildlife Refuge went live on September 15th there were already Dark-bellied Brent geese bobbing about in it! On the first day, just 6, but quickly up to 70.
Dark-bellied Brent Geese in flight.
This is an early start to the winter season for this species – we see waders such as Curlew and Oystercatcher returning from breeding grounds as early as late July, but in the 8 years I’ve been a Wildlife Warden on the Exe, this is about as early as I’ve seen Dark-bellied Brents.
Oystercatcher, Exe Estuary
During October, bird numbers continued to grow in Exmouth Wildlife Refuge, soon topping 1000+ Brents and 2000+ Wigeon. A delight to see and hear! Wigeon males have glorious amber heads that are offset by the low sun on the Duck Pond perfectly. To watch these birds at their best, visit and hour or two after high tide.
Wigeon
The great news this year, is that we’ve have seen a noticeable reduction in dogs disturbing resting and feeding water birds. If you have avoided walking your dog along the shore of the Duck Pond this season, huge thanks from us! A small change in our behaviour can make a big difference to wildlife. When we introduced the Wildlife Refuge some 6 years ago, seeing dogs putting the birds to flight was a daily occurrence, now thankfully, it is unusual.
If you do see disturbance to birds at Exmouth Wildlife Refuge, you can report it here. We can’t be on site all the time, so are grateful to those who keep a look out for us. Knowing what types of disturbance we need to work on can help us focus our efforts in that area.
Although our winter focus is the estuary, we are still frequently up on the Pebblebed Heaths Nature Reserve – and my goodness, what a show of Autumn colours the heaths and surrounding woodland put on this year. The cold dry start to November delivered plenty of joy, kicking up leaves whilst wrapped in warm woolly scarfs.
Warden Katie and I welcomed Year 6 pupils from St Peter’s Prep to Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bystock Nature Reserve for their Wild Woodlands topic. The variety of fallen leaves, across a spectrum of colours and species, did absolute justice to our attempts at wild art in the style of Andy Goldsworthy.
Nature art with St Peters Prep at Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve
Early in the month, we were thrilled to attend the Countryside Management Association Conference in Okehampton. A useful and informative couple of days catching up on other local projects, making new contacts and re-kindling old friendships. I was inspired by the phenomenal work of the East Dartmoor Landscape Recovery project – a collaboration between Devon Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Woodland Trust, National Trust and more than 30 farmers and land-owners across the region, looking at to how best manage the entire area for nature conservation (more than 5,000 ha!). Joined up thinking at its very best, it made me feel hopeful for the future.
Moving on to December: The last month of the year usually marks the peak in bird numbers across the estuary and we’ve been treated to a lovely variety of species visible from the shore at Exmouth Wildlife Refuge. Grey plover, Ringed plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Egret, a frequent Kingfisher, Great-crested Grebe.
Numbers of Dark-bellied Brent geese in the Wildlife Refuge have fallen slightly this month, likely moving to other locations on the estuary after consuming most of the eel grass here. This species won’t leave for their breeding grounds in the Artic before March, but may move to feed on terrestrial grass in fields surrounding the estuary once all the eel grass on the mud flats has been hungrily consumed. The fields between the Clyst and Dart’s Farm is a great place to see them.
Disappointingly however, as we go to press, I am still yet to see a single juvenile amongst the flock. Families with juveniles are often the last to arrive at wintering grounds (we all know how long it takes to get anywhere with kids), but I’ve watched the weeks pass by since September, waiting impatiently, without a single sighting. It’s concerning. It could be that the reason we saw such large numbers of Brents early in the season, is that this year, many failed to breed and so returned to wintering grounds early.
To maintain numbers and offset natural mortality, we’d like to see juveniles accounting for around 15% of the flock. This year, we haven’t hit this. There could be many reasons for this, predation of nests, the physical stress of migration affecting the health of birds, degradation of migration route safe stops, climate change impacting breeding habitat.. we just don’t know. All we can do is ensure while they are with us on the Exe, that we provide safe and disturbance free habitat – so all our wading birds and waterfowl have the very best chance of thriving well into the future.
Ending on some much more joyful news, I’m sure you will all join me as we wish all the very best to Wildlife Warden Imo as she heads off on maternity leave!
All the very best to Wildlife Warden Imo (here on our patrol boat)!
“I’ve had a brilliant couple of years so far with South East Devon Wildlife, I’ve enjoyed getting into our many different projects, from education to signage to publicising our work. Some of my wildlife highlights include watching a Peregrine Falcon catch and dissect a wader on Dawlish Warren, Nightjars playing dead metres in front of us on the Pebblebed Heaths and seeing Dunlin murmurate over the estuary. Plus, I must thank all my lovely team members and partners who have helped me to grow in the role and laugh all along the way. I look forward to catching up with everyone out and about next year!”
Off to do the very important job of raising the next generation of nature enthusiasts, Imo plans to return from maternity leave next Autumn.
Stepping in to help look after wildlife in South East Devon in her absence, we will be joined by new team member, Claire, in January 2025. Claire joins us fresh from an internship with BirdLife International in Switzerland. Welcome Claire! To read more about our team, head to our website.
For now, I wish you the very best of the Season and hope we all meet again in 2025! Happy Winter wildlife watching everyone!
Sama | Wildlife Warden| South East Devon Wildlife
Species of the season
Brambling One of the finch family, it has a white belly, rusty orange collar, and mottled grey-brown head (in the winter). Bramblings arrive to the UK each autumn to escape the harsher weather of Scandinavia and Russia. They like to feed on beech mast, nuts, seeds, and berries provided by our wonderful woodlands.
Brambling, nr Lympston (Richard Morris)
Avocet An elegant, pied wader with an unusual, upturned bill and blue legs. The Exe is famous for homing 1/3 of the UK’s wintering population of Avocet – a bird which was once extinct in the UK and is now making a comeback!
Avocet (Richard Morris)
Holly A classic Christmassy shrub with spiked leaves and red berries. Did you know that Holly trees adjust their spiky armour in response to hungry animals and changing environments, producing more spikes when necessary? Please also remember that Holly provides an important habitat and food source for hedgehogs and birds alike, so if foraging this season, please avoid picking it on our nature reserves.
Holly!
Dunlin A small wading bird with a white belly and grey back. Although the most numerous wader on the Exe Estuary, Dunlin are a red list species of utmost conservation concern. This time of year, Dunlin can be seen murmurating in large flocks above the water on the estuary.
Dunlin in winter plumage (Nick D'Agorne)
Dabbling in ducks
Winter is a great time to engage in a spot of, well, duck spotting, when resident species are joined by winter migrants coming from as far afield as Siberia and central Africa!
Whilst some species of duck lose their breeding feathers in winter, becoming more subdued and tricky to distinguish, here are some helpful hints to the some of the more striking specimens, and where you might spot them locally.
Mallard female (left) and male (right),
Of course, Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) has to be the first to spot! The UK’s best-known duck, males with their glossy green heads and the subtle, mottled brown females, are a familiar sight at ponds in parks. They are also frequently seen at Mud Bank in Exmouth Wildlife Refuge, RSPB Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham, and at Exminster Marshes. But did you know? It’s only the female that quacks!
Good news: breeding populations of Mallard have increased by a third! Less good news: winter populations have declined by about the same amount, and the species has recently been moved from the green to the amber list on the strength of this decline. Population shifts have been attributed to fewer individuals migrating from continental Europe, and the effects of ingested lead gunshot.
Shoveler (male). (Richard Morris)
A large duck with a noticeably flattened end to the beak (hence the shovel in the name). Shoveler (Anas clypeata) is a relatively specialised feeder – using it’s broad bill to seek out zooplankton. Males have an iridescent green head, like a male mallard, but with white breasts and chestnut brown flanks. The females are brown and both sexes have a light blue/green bar (speculum) on the wing, which can be seen in flight. Shovellers can be seen all year round at the pond at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve, as well as at RSPB Bowling Green Marsh in the winter.
Wigeon (on the water) and Pintail (on the land). (Richard Morris)
A team favourite, Wigeon (Mareca Penelope) are a smaller species of duck. They are visible in large numbers at RSPB Exminster Marshes, Exmouth Wildlife Refuge and RSPB Bowling Green Marsh during the winter, and breed in central and northern Scotland, Iceland, Siberia and Russia. The males have a striking chestnut brown head with yellow forehead and a pale pink breast and grey body. The females are brown and both sexes have a small beak and rounded head. In flight male Wigeons also have a large white wing patch. Unlike Mallard, Wigeon don’t quack; they whistle! Listen out for them at Exmouth Duck Pond.
This elegant duck is an uncommon sight in the summer, but frequently found in small groups within flocks of other duck species on the Exe in winter. Immediately noticeable is the thin, pointed tail and wing tips (present in both the male and female) creating a classy and unmistakable silhouette. Male Pintail (Anas acuta) have a chocolate brown head, contrasting with creamy white neck and grey body. Most pintail live for approximately 3 years, however the oldest pintail ever recorded was 27 years old!
During December, a small number were visible during our bird count from the viewpoint on Sowden Lane, Lympstone, as well as often being seen at RSPB Bowling Green Marsh and at Mud Bank in Exmouth Wildlife Refuge.
Eider duck (male). (Ian Woods)
The UKs heaviest and fastest flying duck! A large and impressive sea duck, Eider (Somateria mollissima) can be seen off the beach at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve over winter. The male is black and white, and the female is greyish-brown. Most striking is the slanting forehead. They feed on mussels, (other) molluscs and crustations, diving to depths of up to 3m to claim their desired prize.
So sought after were their feathers for stuffing pillows, that in the 19th century the Eider were nearly driven to extinction. Luckily now, breading Eider on northern coastlines are on the increase.
Shelduck in flight (Rune Falch)
Finally! A duck where the females are as brightly coloured as the males! Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) are bigger than a Mallard, but smaller than a goose, and have a dark green head and neck, chestnut belly and a red bill. They are also here in the summer, though in smaller numbers, and nest in burrows in sandy soil. During winter, they can be seen at Exmouth Wildlife Refuge and along the river towards Lympstone. During the breeding season, you may be lucky enough to see them and their humbug ducklings near Turf Locks.
Seasonal Updates from our project partners on the Exe
Site manager, Steve Edwards, reports on what the ranger team have been up to at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve in 2024
The year opened with the rangers doing lots of scrub control, which mainly involves brush cutting brambles, gorse and trees that are colonising the grassland habitat that the Warren is famous (and legally protected) for. This work must be done in the Autumn and Winter, before March which is the start of the bird nesting season.
Bea Osborne joined us as a trainee ranger at the start of the year. She was with us for 6 months, during which time she experienced all aspects of the ranger’s job, including habitat management, fence and path maintenance, litter picking and lots of primary school visits! Bea was extremely helpful to us and in addition to the work experience mentioned, we paid for her to do some certified training courses in this career area. She went on to spend the summer researching and monitoring marine mammals in West Wales.
The rangers hold a range of public events during the year, and in February we had a well-attended Junior Rangers session where children were making their own bug hotels to site in a sunny place in their gardens.
A big hotel at home in the Warren - vacancies!
In April, Spalding Ecology Associates (led by Catriona Neil) were able, under licence from Natural England, to transplant around 50 specimens of a rare liverwort plant called Petalwort. The idea was to move established plants from an area of the nature reserve that is expected to naturally flood with seawater in the near future (killing the plants). The turves containing the petalwort plants were then installed in a suitable location behind a sea wall, hopefully ensuring their future on the reserve.
Petalwort turves ready for translocation.
The turves had to be kept watered during the drier summer months to ensure they became established, and this Autumn, Catriona revisited the site and found over 20 plants showing some growth- a good sign of success!
Petalwort translocation areas.
Also in April, our long serving and much-loved head ranger Phil Chambers retired, having spent over 20 years overseeing the conservation work of the nature reserve. Enjoy your retirement, Phil!
Phil Chambers (legend) about to dig into a tasty cake! Enjoy all those hours birding, Phil!
From April to July, a major focus for us is our education programme, with 58 educational sessions delivered to over 1000 school and college students. Most were here to learn about coastal processes or ecological topics such as food chains and animal life cycles. If you are interested in bringing a group for a fun learning day out, please email stephen.edwards@teignbridge.gov.uk.
During the summer, we were able to complete the construction of a new pond dipping platform for children to use in school and public event sessions, as masterminded by ranger Caius.
Pond dipping platform being constructed.
In October, we received 7 Dartmoor Ponies on loan from a helpful farmer. These animals are here to graze the grassland areas nice and short to benefit all the low-growing specialist sand dune plants that the Warren is renowned for. They will be here until January before moving on to another conservation grazing project. If you meet them, please don’t feed or stroke the ponies as they are not tame and may kick or bite you, and they need a low-nutrient diet to keep them healthy.
Nigel the pony at Dawlish Warren.
Also in October, we welcomed our new ranger, Phoebe Voysey to the team. Phoebe has a background in ecology work and completed a traineeship with the Devon Wildlife Trust before coming to us. She is settling in well!
We look forward to seeing you down at Dawlish Warren soon!
Coastal Support Officer, Eleanor Ward, updates us on the work of the Exe Estuary Management Partnership
In 2024, the Exe Estuary Management Partnership continued its vital work in safeguarding one of Devon's most cherished natural environments. The Partnership focused on balancing environmental conservation with the needs of local communities and stakeholders.
A school trip to the Estuary.
In the Spring, we successfully delivered 18 educational sessions to a variety of primary schools across South Devon. These sessions are designed to engage children with the unique environment of the Exe Estuary, covering topics such as local wildlife, conservation efforts, and the importance of protecting our natural habitats. The feedback from both children and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the value and impact of these interactive learning experiences. We are excited to announce that we are already planning a revised and even more enriching programme for 2025, aiming to reach even more schools and inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.
An educational trip to the foreshore of the Exe Estuary.
The Exe Estuary Partnership worked with South East Devon Wildlife (SEDW) to review and update the Exe Leaflets (Exe Explorer, Exe Heritage and Exe Wildlife). Around 15,000 leaflets were printed and distributed in September to local businesses across the Exe Estuary. We are currently working with the SEDW team to develop a Personal Aircraft Code of Conduct for users on the Exe Estuary; look out for this in the coming months. You can find electronic copies of all our leaflets on our website: Leaflets - Exe Estuary Management Partnership (exe-estuary.org).
We have also been actively contributing to Devon’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) to ensure that key habitats and species in the Exe Estuary are sufficiently represented. The LNRS is a comprehensive plan which will guide local conservation actions and priorities in Devon. It is scheduled to go out for public consultation in 2025, offering an opportunity for the community to provide input and support the initiative. We encourage all stakeholders to participate in this consultation process to help shape a sustainable future for the Exe Estuary.
In July, our Exe Estuary Officer, Stephanie Harper-Chung, left the Partnership to move onto a new role at the Environment Agency. Eleanor Ward, our Coastal Support Officer, has continued to facilitate the work of the Partnership over the past 6 months whilst we recruited a new Officer. We are pleased to confirm that we have recruited a new Marine, Estuaries and Coastal Officer who will be taking up their role in January 2025.
Eleanor Ward, Coastal Support Officer.
The next Exe Estuary Management Partnership Stakeholder Forum will be held on the evening of Tuesday 4th February 2025 at Devon County Hall. More information will be available on our website, but our members will receive early access to tickets. You can sign up to our free membership here.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Eleanor Ward | Coastal Support Officer | Exe Estuary Management Partnership
Christmas, naturally - what to get up to over the Festive Season
The winter holidays are a great time to connect with your loved ones and the outdoors. Why not try some of these activities to get in the festive spirit?
Wildlife walks:
On our website you can find a guide to many of our favourite walks or, if you’re looking for more dog-friendly options head to the Devon Loves Dogs website.
Tree-planting events:
Winter is the time for planting trees! You can find various tree planting events on Eventbrite (search tree planting) or directly through organisations such as Devon Wildlife Trust, Moor Trees and National Trust.
Visit a wildlife viewing spot around the Exe Estuary:
The Exe Estuary is at its liveliest for wildlife in winter as approximately 20,000 migratory waterbirds arrive here to make the most of the plentiful food sources and sheltered resting areas.
There’s a variety of different places to grab a good look at this wildlife spectacle:
RSPB Bowling Green Marsh Hide and River Clyst viewing platform – a cosy hide looking over the main high tide roost of the northern Exe Estuary near Topsham. Look out for hundreds of teal and black-tailed godwit, especially at low tide.
RSPB Exminster and Powderham Marshes – just 5 miles from Exeter city centre and with a wide array of marshes, pools, canals and rivers. Look out for lapwings, redshanks, wigeons and warblers.
Exmouth Local Nature Reserve – A beautiful walk on the estuary from Exmouth, why not join up with the Route 2 cycle path and extend the walk onto Lympstone, then catch the train back. Look out for Dark-bellied brent geese burbling to each other as they feed on eel grass, and curlews, our largest wader, stalking through the mud.
The Turf - What could be nicer than a walk to the pub from Exeter or Topsham, a spot of bird watching and a pint of whatever you fancy! Look out for avocet on the mud, lapwing with its strange ‘pee-witt’ call, and dunlin forming large murmurations as the sun sets.
Eyes on the Prize
Our "Bag it and Bin it" winter campaign - have you seen the banners?
With the duller days and longer nights of winter, it is increasingly easier to miss your dog’s poo. Is it a poo or is it a leaf? However, it is so important to bag it and bin it wherever you are. Why? Because:
- Dog poo contains bacteria that harms people, livestock, wildlife and other dogs.
- Dog diets are high in protein. Poo left behind stops wildflowers growing, so this means less insects and birds too.
- Dog poo contains nutrients which upset the whole ecosystem. The poo of grazing animals, isn’t a problem as they are recycling existing nutrients, not adding more.
- Bagged dog poo left behind (even briefly) can be eaten by other dogs, grazing animals and wildlife. It’s also not pleasant for other walkers to see.
This season we are increasing our efforts to tackle dog waste. We will be giving out more information on the impacts of dog poo and have put up new banners across the Pebblebed Heaths and Dawlish Warren to remind visitors to “bag it and bin it” – do keep an eye out for these and let us know what you think!
What’s more, our partner project, Devon Loves Dogs, have created a new dicky bag. You may be wondering what this is? Well… a dicky bag is a zip lock, neoprene bag which attaches to your waist, this allows you to store your used dog poo bags until the end of the walk, saving you from carrying it by hand and sealing in any nasty smells! If you’d like a chance to win a dicky bag, enter our competition by scanning one of the QR codes on the banners across the Pebblebed Heaths or Dawlish Warren. We will be releasing a new prize each month through the winter.
To help the cause, if you have a dog, always dispose of dog poo. Use dog bins, any public bins or your mixed waste bin at home. You can buy plastic free poo bags or recycled plastic - these are better for the environment. Plus, you can even try composting your dog waste at home. If you don’t have a dog, simply spreading the word is a great help!
Christmas Crafty
Wondering what to do with the kids on a dreary day during the Christmas hols? Here’s a few ideas!
Or why not channel your inner Andy Goldsworthy, and create some natural art? Leaves, sticks and pine cones are great for creating patterns. Please remember though, if you're on a Nature Reserve, don’t pick anything growing. Here’s some inspiration from a recent school visit, when St Peters Prep joined us on the Pebblebed Heaths.
Reporting Wildlife Disturbance
It is busy time of year for wildlife on the Exe and our small team of wildlife wardens are out as much as they can, trying to prevent disturbance to our overwintering birds.
Disturbance can affect wildlife’s survival rate and it can be caused by any human activity including: planes, boats, walkers and dogs. If a bird changes it's natural behaviour because of your presence, i.e. stops feeding or even flies away, this is classed as disturbance.
If you see disturbance happening, you can report it using the new Disturbance Reporting form - and help us understand where to focus our efforts and prevent it from happening again.
Thank you for looking out for wildlife!
Defending Nature
A soldier on patrol in the countryside.
The Military of Defence (MOD) is one of the largest landowners in the UK, with approximately 220,000 ha of their own estate and approximately 202,000 ha of training rights (areas where they’re allowed to train on private land), such as on the Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve.
The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recognised that the land owned or used by the MOD is one of the most valuable estates in the UK in terms of ecological, landscape and heritage designations and includes 170 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s). This is mainly due to the size of the landholding, the diversity of habitats, the restrictions in public access to certain areas, little to no agricultural improvements, and very little infrastructure.
For example, Salisbury Plain Training Area has been used for military training since the early part of the 20th century, thereby preventing the conversion of its ancient chalk grassland to the arable farming prevalent elsewhere in England. This site is the best remaining example of lowland juniper scrub on chalk in the UK and believed to be the largest surviving area of semi-natural dry grassland within the Europe, as well as supporting birds such as stone curlew and butterflies such as marsh fritillary.
A marsh fritillary butterfly.
A Stone curlew.
In 1973, the Nugent Report recommended the establishment of a MOD Conservation Officer to help target and co-ordinate the MOD’s conservation efforts. This one post has evolved into a large team of dedicated MOD environmental specialists, who advise on the sensitive management of the land used by MOD in the UK, and overseas. They are additionally supported by MOD conservation groups, which comprise MOD personnel, representatives from conservation organisations, and expert volunteers.
Where the military train on private land, such as the Pebblebed Heaths, a licence is put in place by the landowner to ensure that the MOD are made aware of the environmental and conservation significance of the land they are exercising over. Sites with statutory environmental designations e.g. SSSI’s and Ancient Monuments should be avoided and, if necessary, made ‘Out Of Bounds’. In particular, personnel carrying out exercises that are not closely controlled (e.g. adventurous training, orienteering or escape and evasion) have to be fully briefed to avoid designated sites. Military personnel who commit damage within a statutory designated area, ancient monument or archaeological site are also not exempt from prosecution.
Units must also pay particular attention to the prevention of fire, damage caused by digging or vehicle tracks over environmentally sensitive land, noise (especially during silent hours), and inconvenience to civilians, including the blocking of public roads, tracks and paths.
To find out more about the MOD’s role in conservation and sustainability, see their annual Sanctuary magazine
Katie | Wildlife Warden| South East Devon Wildlife