The Godborough Castle Reserve is relatively small but well worth a visit if you’re in the North Devon area. (OS 434 273). This reserve was a ‘greenfield site’, established in the late 1990s and it is developing rapidly. The prime aim is to replicate the mixed habitats that would have been found in the area fifty years ago. It has been recognised as a County Wildlife Site.
Devon Birds members and volunteers have planted thousands of trees and berry carrying shrubs to create burgeoning scrub woodland with a spine of relict woodland, including an original Devon Whitebeam. There are pockets of tumble-down grassland that provide feeding grounds for Buzzard and Green Woodpeckers and the full range of grassland butterflies including marbled whites. Peregrine, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk are regular visitors. Relict woodland and hedgebanks support a variety of common bird species, including a full range of warblers. In winter the berry carrying shrubs are a major attraction for fieldfares and redwings. The top of the reserve is the highest point locally and is a good spot to watch for spring and autumn migrants.
https://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/places_to_go/godborough_castle
Devon Birds sightings
- Hits: 1302
Roadford Reservoir is located to the north-east of Broadwoodwidger in West Devon eight miles east of Launceston. It is the largest area of fresh water in South West England. It was the third and last ‘strategic’ reservoir in South West Water’s plans for SW England, after Colliford & Wimbleball. It receives water from the River Wolf, has a surface area of 295 hectares (729 acres) and a storage capacity of 34,500 megalitres (8 billion gallons).
After the sluices were closed in October 1989, the reservoir started to fill and the first wildfowl (now WeBS) count was carried out in November 1989. Since then, a team of up to eight counters has carried out monthly counts (in all weathers!) of all wildfowl, waders and gulls on the reservoir by walking four different stretches of the reservoir bank. The monthly WeBS count figures are entered in the logbook in the hide and the data is submitted online to WeBS. The hide at Westmoor, donated by Devon Birds, was opened by Bill Oddie on 31 March 1995.
https://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/places_to_go/roadford_reservoir
Devon Birds sightings
- Hits: 1074
Tamar Lakes straddle the Devon/Cornwall border seven miles from Holsworthy and six miles from the A39 – the Lower Lake is entirely in Devon and is predominantly managed as a nature reserve. The Higher Lake is mainly managed as a Water Sports Centre although some birds do use it.
Lower Tamar is surrounded by farmland, well-grown deciduous trees and bushes. It was completed in July 1823 so has had many years to mature into a haven for wildlife. It covers 70 acres and was the Bude area water supply until 1978 when the Upper Lake took over this function.
The bird list for the lakes currently stands at 205 species including Whooper Swan, Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern, Long-billed Dowitcher, Iceland Gull etc.
https://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/places_to_go/tamar_lakes
Devon Birds sightings
- Hits: 1099
Westcountry Rivers Trust Despite the fact the River Torridge rises only 12 miles from the coast, this ancient river has decided to take the scenic route. Measuring 50 miles long, this river slowly meanders its way through woods and farmland, taking in every inch of the glorious Devon countryside.
https://wrt.org.uk/project/river-torridge/
- Hits: 1202
Westcountry Rivers Trust Stretching 60 miles from source to sea and reaching into both Devon and Cornwall, the river Tamar shapes our history, our lives and our identities.
From the patchwork fields, moorland and skylines that surround us, to the food we eat, the businesses we run and the daily experiences we have it flows through everything we do.
It provides 116 million litres of water for us every day, to drink, to wash in, to water our gardens and to clean our cars. Its banks and tributaries are a place for our kids to play, for our dogs to cnufle and for our Sundays to lazily unwind. It plays a part in the food we see on our plates, how our bills add up and even whether we get to work on time.
In short, the Tamar is part of us all – and we are part of it..
https://wrt.org.uk/project/river-tamar/
- Hits: 1267
Lundy MCZ is an inshore site that covers a rectangular area of 31 km2 around Lundy Island. Situated 19 km off the North Devon coast, Lundy is the largest island in the Bristol Channel. The marine area around Lundy has long been recognised for its ecological importance and as such was established as England’s first Marine Nature Reserve (NMR) in 1986. When the Marine and Coastal Access Act came into force in 2009 the site was converted from an NMR to a MCZ in January 2010. The MCZ boundary is identical to the boundary of Lundy Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and contains an existing no-take zone.
Lundy’s unique situation in the mouth of the Bristol Channel means it is subject to a range of environmental conditions. Both sheltered and exposed areas can be found with some being subject to strong tidal currents and waves. The seabed landscape varies considerably with steeply sloping, vertical and overhanging underwater cliffs all present within the site. The combination of these physical conditions supports a range of complex biological communities, making the area a biodiversity hotspot. Reefs, sandbanks, seacaves and grey seals are already protected as features within the area under the SAC; the MCZ offers additional protection for Spiny lobster that was not previously protected.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zone-2013-designation-lundy
- Hits: 1085
The North West of Lundy MCZ is an inshore site that covers an area of 173 km2, extending in an arc between the 6 nautical mile (nm) and 12 nm limits, 15 km northwest of Lundy. It is located in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea region.
The North West of Lundy site contains a large area of subtidal coarse sediment which provides habitat that supports a variety of species, for example segmented bristle worms, venus clams and small crustaceans (such as crabs and barnacles) living within and on top of the sediment. Coarse sediments include coarse sand, gravel, pebbles and shingle. The habitat is often unstable due to tidal currents and/or wave action.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-north-west-of-lundy
- Hits: 973
Hartland Point to Tintagel MCZ is an inshore site on the north coast of Devon and Cornwall in the south west of England. The site covers 304 km² and follows the coastline along the mean high water mark from Tintagel Head to Hartland Point.
This MCZ contains rocky habitats in deeper waters (circalittoral rock) which are dominated by a mosaic of different marine creatures such as sponges, anemones and sea-fan corals living on the rocky surfaces. Intertidal sand and rocky areas, covered by water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide, provide habitats for many species, including the honeycomb worm. Honeycomb worm reefs are formed from the closely-packed sand tubes constructed by these colonial worms. The reef structures resemble honeycomb and can extend for tens of metres across and up to a metre tall. They, in turn, are able to support a wide range of shore-dwelling species including anemones, snails, shore crabs and seaweeds. The pink sea-fan coral which is a slow-growing colony of tiny anemone-like animals feeds from the water column and can provide shelter to other creatures.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-hartland-point-to-tintagel
- Hits: 1037
This site protects a wide range of habitats, from beaches of intertidal sand, which are exposed to the air at low tide and below water at high tide, to subtidal sediment and rock habitats, which are permanently submerged. This site is important for creating connectivity between sites along the north coast of Devon and Cornwall. Low energy Infralittoral rock: shallow water rock, below the tides, sheltered from waves and currents
This MCZ helps to fill a gap in the network for honeycomb worm reefs, which are formed from the closely-packed sand tubes constructed by these colonial worms. The reef structures resemble honeycomb and can extend for tens of metres across and up to a metre tall. They, in turn, are able to support a wide range of shore-dwelling species including anemones, snails, shore crabs and seaweeds.
This site also protects a range of important and vulnerable species such as the pink sea-fan coral which is a slow-growing colony of tiny anemone-like animals. These coral feed on microscopic animals captured from the passing water. Pink sea-fans are themselves home to other creatures including a sea slug and a rare anemone. Dogfish also attach their eggs to pink sea-fans, wrapping the long tendrils at the corners of the ‘Mermaid’s Purse’ eggcase around the sea-fan’s branches. This site also protects the spiny lobster, whose common name comes from the sharp spines all over their heavy, orange-brown shells.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-bideford-to-foreland-point
https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UKMCZ0029
- Hits: 981
This site, lying in a valley orientated north to south, was bought by the National Trust in 1954. The Tudor mansion burned down in 1967 but the surrounding deer park has survived and is managed by the Trust.
There is an impressive assemblage of trees such as some ancient oaks, lime and beech trees, whilst some sweet chestnuts are believed to date back at least 700 years. However, it is the unusually large number of lichen species, many nationally rare, which make this site so special.
- Hits: 1208
