Exmouth Local Nature Reserve is a massive area of tidal sand and mud at the southern end of the Exe Estuary. It is a globally important area of overwintering waders and waterfowl. In the autumn thousands of birds fly from the freezing Arctic to spend the winter months on the estuary, one of Devon’s most impressive natural spectacles.
Dark-bellied brent geese make their way to this place every year in September. During the winter months, other wildfowl crowd into the estuary to feed - look out for huge flocks of wigeon and graceful pintail ducks.
https://eastdevon.gov.uk/countryside/wild-east-devon-nature-reserves/exmouth-local-nature-reserve/
The Local Nature Reserve is very close to both Exmouth railway and bus stations and is easily accessed from any bus or train service to the town. The nearest postcode is EX8 1DG.
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Ideal for a quiet stroll just away from the busy sea front and a secret haven for wildlife.
The warm, sandy soil at the Maer provides a haven for insects. Many unusual solitary Bees and Wasps make their nest tunnels in the sand and get on with raising their larvae out of sight of the casual observer – look for tiny Bees flying out of holes in the ground.
Skylarks are a species of British bird that have suffered a massive decline in recent years. However, there are still a handful of pairs that regularly use the Maer in the summer months for breeding. If disturbed a skylark will fly up singing loudly, filling the air with its beautiful call.
The harsh soil conditions mean that specialised and rare plants can grow on this site. Many small, unobtrusive plants, including a number of tiny grasses, survive on areas of bare soil eroded by visitors. Sea Holly is locally rare, but grows very well on the seaward side of the nature reserve. Looking like a small blue-grey thistle, Sea Holly is actually a member of the carrot family! There are many different species of Clover growing here, including several nationally important species. Look out for the fluffy flower heads of Hare’s Foot Clover between June and September which, as its name suggests, resemble little rabbit feet – unmistakable.
https://eastdevon.gov.uk/countryside/wild-east-devon-nature-reserves/the-maer-local-nature-reserve/
On the A376 to Exmouth, follow signs to the seafront. Drive towards the eastern end of the esplanade and park. The Local Nature Reserve lies behind the large sand dunes.
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Hillcrest is Wild East Devon’s newest acquisition, a 1.3 hectares woodland reserve in the heart of Exmouth.
The first record of the woodland appears in 1952. It is probable that the woodland started to establish in the aftermath of the WWI, when there would have been a shortage of labour to manage the grounds and prevent the northward encroachment of the woodland south of Withycombe Brook.
Species known to be present in the woodland include: badger (there is a several-hole sett present in the northwest corner of the wood and badger trails throughout) as well as a number of common bird species; blackbird, blackcap, chaffinch, chiffchaff, dunnock, robin, wood pigeon and wren.
Hillcrest Community Nature Reserve Exmouth EX8 4DX
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Honiton Bottom Community Nature Reserve is about a mile from the bustling centre of the market town of Honiton. Situated at the southernmost tip of the town, this site offers close up views of some common but none the less enthralling species of wildlife.
The stream which runs along the eastern edge of the nature reserve is called the Gissage, and here you may see Dippers, Grey Wagtails and even a Kingfisher if you're lucky!
Small birds feed on the insects and seeds which thrive in the rough grassland. Tawny Owls hunt regularly over the nature reserve at dusk and in the early morning, Foxes are also frequent night time visitors.
The reserve has a surfaced path, allowing access for those with limited mobility, and buggies.
Honiton Bottom Nature Reserve is about a mile from the town centre, at the junction between Honiton Bottom Road and Battishorne Way.
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Tranquil wildflower meadow with breathtaking views over Sidmouth and across the bay to Portland on a clear day.
Just a stone’s throw from the coastal path, Delderfield is a great place to stop off for a peaceful picnic. While away a quiet hour on a sunny day, enjoy the wild flowers in the meadow and the hum of insects in the air.
The nature reserve was named after the novelist and dramatist RF Delderfield, best known for his novels ‘To Serve Them All My Days’ and ‘A Horseman Riding By’ which were later adapted for television. The little thatched house up on the hillside looking south west from the nature reserve was Delderfield's home; it is called ‘The Gazebo’ and he commissioned it to be built in 1962.
Delderfield Community LNR, Peak Hill, Sidmouth
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The Devon Redlands National Character Area (NCA) has a very strong, unified character. The underlying red sandstone and consequent red soil dominate the landscape through ploughed fields, cliffs and exposures, and are visually evident in the traditional stone and cob farmsteads, hamlets and villages that are scattered across the area. Not only does the soil visually characterise the area but its fertility also makes it the agricultural heart of Devon. Mixed agriculture has shaped this landscape since medieval times, an era that left a dense pattern of deep and narrow lanes imprinted in the landscape. The gently rolling hills that feature across the NCA support a network of hedgerows enclosing relatively small fields that are either grazed or under arable cultivation. Hedgerow trees and small copses often give a wooded appearance to the hills. The valleys in between are flat bottomed and open into extensive flood plains across the central part of the Redlands. Here, more ‘shrubby’ hedgerows or fences enclose larger arable or grazed fields.
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6150022?category=587130
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The Reserve is situated at the eastern end of the esplanade at Budleigh Salterton and comprises the River Otter and adjacent salt marsh areas from the estuary northwards to White Bridge, on the eastern end of the public footpath. The Reserve also includes the reed beds on the western side of the footpath. There are four display boards and a hide either side of the river together with two viewing platforms.
The whole area is managed by the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust on behalf of Clinton Devon Estate. The Trust with the agreement of the tenant farmer have developed and are continuing to develop scrape areas which do not form part of the Reserve but these have added a tremendous diversity to the area.
https://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/places_to_go/otter_estuary
Devon Birds sightings
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Wikipedia The estuary is a Special Protection Area and SSSI. It is also a Ramsar site.
The Exe Estuary is a site of international importance for wading birds, which feed on the estuary mudflats at low tide, and roost at high tide at the adjacent Dawlish Warren SSSI and Bowling Green Marsh. The RSPB has two nature reserves adjoining the estuary, at Bowling Green Marsh and Exminster Marshes.
Over 10,000 wildfowl and 20,000 waders winter on the estuary. These include dark-bellied brent goose (Branta bernicla), Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope), ringed plover (Charadius hiaticula), black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), and pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta).
The Exminster Marshes, a series of fields drained by dykes and ditches, carry several plants rare in Devon including parsley, water dropwort (Oenanthe lachenalii), flowering rush Butomus umbellatus and frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae. Dragonflies are also supported, such as the ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) and hairy dragonfly (Brachytron pratense).
The marshes are bounded by the Exeter Canal. Both are fringed by beds of common reed Phragmites australis, providing important habitat for Old World warblers.
Burrowing invertebrates are found in the sandbanks and mudflats. These include lugworm (Arenicola marina), peppery furrow shell (Scrobicularia plana), tellins Macoma spp., common cockle (Cerastoderma edule), pod razor (Ensis siliqua), sea potato (Echinocardium cordatum), and masked crab (Corystes cassivelaunus). Beds of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) are food for Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus). The estuary is the only British location for the polychaete worm Ophelia bicornia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exe_Estuary
Exe Estuary. 11/03/92; England; 2,346 ha; 50°39'N 003°27'W. Special Protection Area EC Directive; SSSI, Local Nature Reserve. The estuary includes shallow offshore waters, extensive mud and sand flats, saltmarsh, a complex of marshes and damp pasture, and an extensive dune system. The area is important for internationally important numbers of several species of wintering and passage waterbirds and functions as a refuge during severe weather. Ramsar site no. 542. Most recent RIS information: 1999.
https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/542
The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The convention entered into force in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 5 May 1976.
The United Kingdom currently has 175 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1,283,040 hectares.
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Westcountry Rivers Trust The headwaters of the Exe lie in the Exmoor National Park. From its source at Exehead, the river flows across the moorland and passes across the rural Exe valley landscape, through the heart of Exeter and finally reaches the sea at Exmouth.
Throughout its journey from source to sea, the River Exe forms an central part of the lives and identities of those who live along its banks. Every stretch of this iconic river offers beautiful scenery, rich wildlife and a space to be explored and admired by all those who make their way to this stunning corner of the world.
https://wrt.org.uk/project/river-exe/
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Westcountry Rivers Trust Springing into life near Beaminster in Dorset, the River Axe skirts across the Somerset border before meandering through the beautiful Devonshire countryside to the sea.
The River Axe is home to an array of stunning scenery and rich wildlife, travelling through the Blackdown Hills and East Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as a number of SSSIs.
https://wrt.org.uk/project/rivers-lim-axe/
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