Monday, 8 March 2021

Happy International Women's Day - Reach for the moon and the stars .

As I am always looking up and photographing lunar events, the sun and the sky I thought I would share the remarkable story of Katherine Johnson. who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015

Katherine Johnson joined the team at Langley in 1953 as a physicist, space scientist and mathematician, who provided the calculations for Alan Shepherd’s historic first flight into space, John Glenn’s ground-breaking orbit of the earth and the trajectory for Apollo 11’s moon landing

In February 2021 a space supply ship carrying some four tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station launched from Virginia. The S.S. Katherine Johnson, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus capsule, was named in honour of this mathematician whose contributions were featured in the Oscar-nominated film 'Hidden Figures'. 

"Five Women Who Made the Moon Landing Possible - That “giant leap for mankind” happened thanks to plenty of women."

The five women were:

JoAnn Morgan - Launch Controller
Margaret Hamilton - Computer Scientist
Mary Jackson - Aeronautical Engineer
Katherine Johnson - Aerospace Technologist
Judy Sullivan - Biomedical Engineer

Snow Moon 2021. Photo copyright Pat Adams (All Rights Reserved)

  • "Katherine Johnson—joined the team at Langley in 1953. A physicist, space scientist and mathematician, Johnson provided the calculations for Alan Shepherd’s historic first flight into space, John Glenn’s ground-breaking orbit of the earth and the trajectory for Apollo 11’s moon landing." (History.com)
  • The S.S. Katherine Johnson, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus capsule, was due to arrive at the International Space Station Monday, on Febrary 22nd bearing some 8,000 pounds of science and research supplies and vehicle hardware.  (NPR 20/2/21)
  • "Five Women Who Made the Moon Landing Possible That “giant leap for mankind” happened thanks to plenty of women." New York Times
  • Movie Hidden Figures Three female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn's launch into orbit. Meanwhile, they also have to deal with racial and gender discrimination at work. Wikapedia

Snow Moon 27th February 2021. Photo credit Pat Adams (North Devon Focus) 

Movie 'Hidden Figures' DVD - Amazon 
Book 'Hidden Figures - Paperback - Amazon
Watch 'Hidden Figures All 4 8th March 
'Hidden Figures' Hiddenfigures.com 
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Thursday, 4 March 2021

Happy World Book Day - The North Devon and Exmoor landscape has inspired many writers and poets.

The  North Devon and Exmoor landscape has inspired many writers and poets.

Westward Ho! is synonymous with two famous authors, It was named after the novel ‘Westward Ho!’ written by Charles Kingsley when he lived in #Bideford. He grew up around the bay in Clovelly. His children’s novel ‘The Water-Babies’, is said to be inspired by the fishing village where his father was once Rector.

Rudyard Kipling, author of ‘The Jungle Book’, attended the United Services College, the long white building. The first verse of his poem ‘If’ features on the promenade below Kipling Tors. His collection of stories, ‘Stalky & Co’, is based on his experiences at the College, which he attended from January 1878 to 1882.  He was a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Today's writers are still being inspired by our beautiful coast and countryside including North Devon's own Liz Shakespeare, the author of five books set in Devon. She was born and brought up in Devon and her writing has been influenced by the family stories she grew up with and the sense of being deeply rooted in the area. She draws her inspiration from the Devon countryside and from the strong historical identity of the area.

On this day 4th March 2017. Westward Ho! Photo copyright Pat Adams (North Devon Focus)
In the frame what was once the United Services College. Westward Ho! Photo credit Pat Adams (North Devon Focus)
On this day 4th March 2017. Westward Ho!
In the frame Kipling Tors. Westward Ho! Photo credit Pat Adams (North Devon Focus)
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Photos taken #onthisday 4th March 2017 
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Other authors and poets of note

RD Blackmoor - Lorna Doone

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

RF Delderfield - A Horseman Riding By, To Serve Them All My Days

Percey Bysshe Shelley

William Wordsworth

Henry Williamson - Tarka the Otter

Liz Shakespeare - The Song of the Skylark; The Postman Poet and The Poems of Edward Capern; All Around The Year; The Turning of the Tide; Fever – A Story from a Devon Churchyard; The Memory be Green

Tuesday, 2 February 2021

Keeping meadows in mind – and why they matter. Free online talk bu author Stephen Moss on the importance of wildflower meadows

Best-selling nature writer and broadcaster Stephen Moss is giving a free online talk to illustrate why creating wildflower meadows is important for turning around wildlife declines and helping to tackle climate change.

The 'Why meadows matter' talk, on Wednesday 3rd February at 7:30pm, focuses on a key habitat for the subject of Stephen Moss's latest book, The Swallow: A Biography. Wildflower-rich meadows are home to a diverse array of insects. That means they are important places not only for bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinators, but also for the smaller prey species hunted by insect-eating birds such as swallows.

This online event has been organised by Dartmoor-based Moor Meadows, a community wildflower and wildlife conservation group. Open to everyone, the event is free but you must register.  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR PLACE

Traditional wildflower meadows have disappeared from most of the English countryside, largely due to changes in agriculture during the 20th century. With the loss of diverse wild plants came an associated loss of insects and other wildlife.

But in recent years, techniques have been perfected to re-create wildflower-rich grasslands. As groups such as Moor Meadows have shown, wildflower 'meadows' can be restored or created on farmland, in gardens and churchyards, and on roadside verges.

Event organizer and Moor Meadows co-founder Donna Cox of Buckfastleigh said: "Wildflower meadows are among the most important wildlife habitats, as they support disproportionately high numbers of plant and animal species. Yet 97% of Britain's wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s. Meadows have a fascinating history and are a wonderful wildlife spectacle in the present – but they are important for the future of both wildlife and people."

The free talk on 'Why meadows matter' will include a Question and Answer session so attendees can quiz Stephen Moss about the wildlife to be found in meadows and the importance of wildflower-rich grasslands for reducing pollution in our waterways, storing carbon from the atmosphere, reversing the declines in pollinating insects, helping to improve people's mental health and more.

Stephen Moss said: "Wildflower meadows have such a central importance not only for wildlife, but also in our history, literature and culture. They have all but disappeared in recent decades, but Moor Meadows is now helping to bring them back."

In addition to the general Q&A session the free event will also include a conversation between Stephen Moss and Dartmoor-based RSPB Chairman Kevin Cox.

Stephen Moss - Author of  'The Swallow: A Biography'.Stephen Moss - Author of  'The Swallow: A Biography'
People enjoying Brimpts meadow, near Dartmeet. Photo copyright Wendy Searle (All ighs Reserved)People enjoying Brimpts meadow, near Dartmeet. Photo credit Wendy Searle
Meadow brown butterfly.  Photo copyright Robbie Phillips All Rights Reserved)Meadow brown butterfly Photo credit Robbie Phillips

"Keeping meadows in mind – and why they matter"
Free online talk on the importance of wildflower meadows organised by More Meadows – Wednesday 3rd February at 7:30pm
Places on the free online talk by Stephen Moss - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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>>READ MORE POSTS & ALL ABOUT MORE MEADOWS

Monday, 1 February 2021

More Meadow-makers plan to get Torridge blooming and buzzing

A new community group for West Devon and Torridge aims to support landowners, farmers and gardeners keen to restore or create wildflower meadows.

More Meadows West Devon & Torridge is based on the successful Moor Meadows Dartmoor community, which since its founding in 2015 has grown to include more than 800 meadow-makers, managing more than 1,000 acres of wildflower meadow to benefit wild plants and wildlife on Dartmoor and beyond.

Thanks to funding from the Devon Environment Foundation, the More Meadows concept is an attempt to replicate the original Moor Meadows group's success by supporting new networks of meadow-makers across Devon.

The new More Meadows West Devon & Torridge group has been founded by local nature enthusiasts concerned about ongoing wildlife declines but inspired by efforts to create more wildlife-friendly habitats.

Although lost from much of the countryside due to changes in agriculture during the 20th century, traditional wildflower-rich grassland can be maintained, restored or created on farmland, in gardens and churchyards, and on road verges.

This conservation work can play a crucial role in turning around the fortunes of threatened bees, butterflies and other pollinators as well as the birds and mammals that rely on insects for food.

Co-founder of the new group Jon Valters, who manages a small nature reserve near St Giles on the Heath, said: "The idea is that people in West Devon and Torridge will be able to provide each other with support and advice on how to create or restore wildflower-rich grasslands with the aim of substantially increasing the number of wildflower meadows in this part of Devon."

He continued: "Some members of the new group have already come forward with projects including a proposal to create wildflower verges in their village. We are also keen to help people who wish to create smaller areas of wildflower grasslands in their gardens or local churchyard."

The original Moor Meadows Dartmoor group has held scything workshops so meadow-makers can master this traditional grassland management technique and also very popular Open Meadow events, with invitations to view wildflower meadows on private land, chat to the owner and be inspired by what can be achieved. The West Devon & Torridge hub hopes to organise similar events and workshops in future.

The Meadow-Makers' Forum, launched online last month, encourages the creation and spread of new More Meadows groups. The West Devon & Torridge group is the first new one to form and details of the group can be found in the Local Groups section at http://forum.moremeadows.org.uk/

Supporting this process for More Meadows is Devon ecologist Tracey Hamston, who said: "New groups of local meadow enthusiasts are being formed as individuals reach out to other wildlife-friendly landowners in their area. The online forum is providing a network for people to find others living nearby, organise getting together and planning how to move forward, with the aim of creating and restoring as much species-rich meadow as possible and connecting to like-minded folk in the process."

Joining the online forum is free and offers resources and advice on managing a meadow - including where to source wildflower seeds or seed-rich 'green hay' – while forum members can help identify the wild plants and creatures in field or garden meadows.

The West Devon & Torridge More Meadows group is in the process of setting up a small steering group and is particularly keen to recruit a volunteer with IT skills.

For more information see the More Meadows forum at http://forum.moremeadows.org.uk/ or for anyone without easy internet access, co-founder Jon Valters can be contacted on 01566 784196.
Marbled white butterfly. Photo copyright Mike Symes (Al Rights Reserved)
Marbled white butterfly. Photo credit Mike Symes
Jon Valters of More Meadows West Devon & Torridge group
Jon Valters of More Meadows West Devon & Torridge group
Traditional haymeadow. Photo copyright Jon Valters (All Rights Reserved)
Traditional haymeadow. Photo credit Jon Valters
·        ------------------------------------------------------- 
More Meadows West Devon & Torridge group: The new group has been formed by wildflower meadow and wildlife enthusiasts in the local area, aiming to build on the success of the Moor Meadows Dartmoor group, using the group model known as More Meadows.
 
Moor Meadows Dartmoor: Moor Meadows Dartmoor is a community group established in 2015, whose aim is to help each other in conserving, restoring and creating wildflower meadows, on any scale, in the landscape of Dartmoor. Moor Meadows Dartmoor have set up the online Meadow Makers' Forum to help with the formation of new groups across Devon
 
More Meadows: More Meadows is an umbrella name for the network of new meadows groups being established in different parts of Devon, all sharing information via the new Meadow Makers' Forum. Establishment of the Forum has been made possible by a grant from the Devon Environment Foundation.
 
Devon Environment Foundation: The Devon Environment Foundation aims to protect and restore Devon's natural beauty by funding local nature regeneration projects.

Wednesday, 27 January 2021

North Devon Wildlife through the window. Seasonal photos of the birds in my garden

Well what a year. Stormy times, supermoons, lockdowns and Covid19 restrictions meant that I didn’t get to visit some of our favourite locations and all the events were cancelled for the year. Luckily for me I love my small messy garden and the bees, birds and butterflies love it too. 

The natural world did not take a break and continued as usual with the regular birds on and below the feeder. For the first time I enjoyed watching a couple of Siskins which stayed in the garden for a couple of months, I do hope they return and nest here. January 20/21 2020 a fleeting visit from some Long Tail Tits and wonder of wonders they returned with a flurry of snow on 23rd January 2021. 

I had started putting out Niger Seed for the Goldfinches, which they enjoyed, I then added Sunflower Hearts to the menu, they loved those even more and continue to devour messily on a daily basis.  They have dominated the feeders throughout the year and it looks as though this year will be the same, I counted 11 yesterday, I am hoping they stay around for the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. The Sunflower Hearts are popular with most of the birds and probably why the Siskins visited. 

As usual the Swifts and Swallows arrived in the Spring, spotted the first Swallow flying aloft 17th April, watched them gather on the wire above the garden on the 17th September, the next day they were gone. Finally snatched a shot of the elusive Great Spotted Woodpecker in June, they are regulars in the garden but pretty much peck and go a bit like the Wrens. Sadly I only saw one Greenfinch a juvenile, I miss the House Martins that once used to build their nests in the corners of the windows beneath the roof.

I have watched as usual as the birds sing out, nest and raise their fledglings. Here are just some of the photos from 2020.

North Devon Focus. Great Spotted Woodpecker Photo copyright Pat Adams (All Rights Reserved)
Great Spotted Woodpecker Photo credit Pat Adams
North Devon Focus. Sparrow Fledglings - Photo copyright Pat Adams (All Rights Reserved)
 Sparrow Fledglings - Photo credit Pat Adams
North Devon Birdwatching through the window. Male and Female Siskin Photo copyright Pat Adams (North Devon Focus) All Rights Reserved
Male and Female Siskin. Photo credit Pat Adams
North Devon Birdwatching through the window. Photo copyright Pat Adams (North Devon Focus) All Rights Reserved
North Devon Birdwatching through the window. Photo credit Pat Adams
Birds in my garden 2020
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Chaffinch
Coal Tit
Dove
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Great Tit
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Robin
Sparrow
Starling
Wood Pigeon
Wren
👀👀👀
Pat Adams' North Devon Focus. A North Devon Coast & Country Chronical
Explore the Coast and' Country' side of  Bideford Bay and Beyond

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Gardening on the wild side. Free online talk on helping wildlife in your 'garden jungle' organised by Moor Meadows 14th January

Renowned wildlife author and bee scientist Dave Goulson is giving a free online talk to illustrate how a few changes to your garden can help reverse wildlife declines.

The talk, on Thursday 14th January at 7:30pm, is inspired by Professor Goulson's book The Garden Jungle, or Gardening to Save the Planet.

This event has been organised by Dartmoor-based Moor Meadows, a community wildflower and wildlife conservation group. Open to everyone, the event is free but you must CLICK HERE TO REGISTER PLACES

From beautiful butterflies and dazzling dragonflies to the bumblebees, wasps and hoverflies that pollinate our crops, insects make up over half the species on Earth - yet across the globe they are suffering a catastrophic decline.

In the UK, Professor Goulson suggests insect numbers have more than halved in the last 50 years.

But all is not lost. Event organizer and Moor Meadows co-founder Donna Cox of Buckfastleigh said: "Fortunately, there is something we can do to start reversing the trend. Insect populations can recover. With just a few small changes, our gardens and meadows could become a vast network of nature reserves, where humans and wildlife can thrive together."

The free talk on The Garden Jungle will include a Question and Answer session to highlight the simple ways every gardener can help endangered bees, butterflies and other insects.

Professor Goulson said: "The simplest thing you can do to make your garden more wildlife friendly is stop using pesticides. I also urge gardeners to try to be more relaxed and less tidy-minded; mow the lawn less, don't dead-head flowers at the end of summer, leave a log pile or a pile of brash for wildlife to overwinter in. In wildlife gardening, less is often more."

Members of the Moor Meadows community group are already managing more than 1,000 acres of wildflower-rich meadows to benefit insects and other wildlife. Many of these 'meadows' are in village front gardens and one is even on the roof of a shed in Chagford, so a small space dedicated to wildlife can make a huge difference.

Professor Goulson added: "If wildlife is to thrive, we need to create and restore a network of biodiverse habitats across the country, and gardens can play an important role in helping to link up and provide stepping stones between rich habitats such as wildflower meadows."

Places on the free online talk by Professor Dave Goulson can be registered at HERE

 

Dave Goulson at Moor Meadows 2017 conference - Photo credit Chris Chapman
Devon Wildlife Trust. Meadow on shed roof in Chagford. Photo copyright Nicky Scott (All Rights Reserved)
Meadow on shed roof in Chagford. Photo credit Nicky Scott
Devon Wildlife Trust. Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Photo copyright Andrew Taylor (All Rights Reserved)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Photo credit Andrew Taylor

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'Gardening on the wild side' - Open to everyone, the event is free 
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ABOUT
 
Moor Meadows Dartmoor 
Moor Meadows Dartmoor is a community group established in 2015, whose aim is to help each other in conserving, restoring and creating wildflower meadows, on any scale, in the landscape of Dartmoor. Moor Meadows Dartmoor have set up the online Meadow Makers' Forum to help with the formation of new groups across Devon.
 
More Meadows 
More Meadows is an umbrella name for the network of new meadows groups being established in different parts of Devon, all sharing information via the new Meadow Makers' Forum. Establishment of the Forum has been made possible by a grant from the Devon Environment Foundation.
 
Professor Dave Goulson 
Dave Goulson is a Professor of Biology at University of Sussex, who specialises in bumblebees. After completing a PhD on butterfly ecology he became a lecturer at University of Southampton, where he began to specialise in bumblebee ecology and conservation. In 2006 he founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a charity devoted to reversing bumblebee declines. A Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, he has published over 200 scientific articles on the ecology of bees and other insects and is the author of Bumblebees: their behaviour, ecology and conservation. His popular science books on bumblebees and other insects, and how conservation measures can help them, include A Sting in the Tale, A Buzz in the Meadow and The Garden in the Jungle.

Wednesday, 30 December 2020

SING OUT FOR NATURE. Devon Wildlife Trust's twelve special species on twelve days of Christmas fundraising campaign.

Twelve dormice hibernating, eleven willow tits foraging, ten string-of-sausages lichens hanging… the traditional carol has been given a Devon wildlife twist this Christmas.

Nature conservation charity Devon Wildlife Trust is focusing on twelve special species that find a home on DWT nature reserves across Devon in a festive fundraising campaign.

Consisting of six insect species, two wildflowers, a tree, a lichen, a mammal and a bird, this ‘Devon dozen’ forms part of a wider list of species of conservation concern.

The Devon Special Species list was first created in 2017, identifying the wildlife that needed more focused species recovery work in the county.

From this list 96 species demanded particular attention because their remaining footholds in Devon were of national – even international - importance.

Earlier this year, an update on these species showed they still desperately need conservation help: they need the best habitat management on wildlife-friendly land where they are currently found. This will give some individuals the chance to move and re-colonize former sites to give each species a more secure future in Devon.

Many of these Devon special species find a home on DWT’s 58 nature reserves.

With the best habitat management in place, DWT nature reserves are where dormice can find plenty of food, where willow tits can use damp scrub to excavate their nest holes, where rare butterflies can find the right habitats to complete all the stages of their life cycle and where trees and wildflowers now found hardly anywhere outside Devon can continue to thrive.

DWT’s Director of Conservation Pete Burgess said: “Some of our rarest and most threatened wildlife relies on the landscapes - and people - of Devon. DWT has an ambitious plan to double the amount of wildlife-rich land in Devon in coming years. But nature reserves will remain the wildlife reservoirs needed to restore life to the wider landscape. Nature reserves are where good habitat management can help species to recover and find their way to new places. And Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserves are where anyone can help Devon’s special species with a donation to this fundraising appeal.”

The twelve Devon Special Species highlighted in Devon Wildlife Trust’s festive fundraising campaign include:

  1. the hazel dormouse, already lost from so many other parts of England
  2. the brown hairstreak butterfly – this species overwinters as an egg laid on blackthorn stems so populations of this butterfly can be devastated by severe cutting of Devon hedges in autumn and winter.
  3. the southern damselfly, a vivid blue-coloured insect lost from several heathland sites that DWT successfully re-introduced to an East Devon nature reserve
  4. the Devon whitebeam, a tree that is so special to Devon it takes its name from the county
  5. the sand crocus, a shy spring flower located on the golfing greens at Dawlish Warren and only found in one other place in the whole of England
  6. the heath potter wasp, the six-legged artisan whose habit of constructing clay pots makes it the Grayson Perry of the insect world

DWT Engagement Officer Dan Smith said: “The limitations placed on our movements during this difficult year inspired many people to explore nature close to home and notice more of the creatures who share the Devon landscape with us. Some of those rare and threatened species are very special to Devon. Their future depends on the action we take now. That’s why DWT has launched a fundraising campaign to help the Trust manage the habitats on 58 nature reserves across Devon so they are in perfect condition for these species to thrive.”

Entry to Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserves has not been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Most Devon residents will be within a short cycle ride or car journey from a DWT nature reserve. More information on these 58 places for wildlife and people – and details on how to support the Devon Special Species appeal - can be found at www.devonwildlifetrust.org

Dormouse at DWT Teigngrace Meadow nature reserve. Photo copyright Andrew Taylor (All Rights Reserved)
Dormouse at DWT Teigngrace Meadow nature reserve. Photo copyright Andrew Taylor (All Rights Reserved)
 Warren Crocus at DWT Dawlish Inner Warren Nature Reserve. Photo copyright Vicki Gardner (All Rights Reserved)
Devon Wildlife Trust. Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly. Photo copyright Chris Root (All Rights Reserved)
Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly. Photo copyright Chris Root (All Rights Reserved)
 
Full list of twelve Devon Special Species and where they can be found in Devon on DWT nature reserves – a ‘pen portrait’ of each species can be found on each PDF file at the foot of https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/devon-special-species
  1. Heath potter wasp – DWT Bovey Heathfield, (near Bovey Tracey)
  2. Southern damselfly – DWT Venn Ottery, (in Otter Valley)
  3. Willow tit – DWT’s Culm grassland nature reserves, northwest Devon
  4. Brown hairstreak butterfly – 3 DWT-managed Exeter Valley Parks
  5. Sand crocus – DWT Dawlish Inner Warren
  6. Bog hoverfly – DWT Emsworthy Mire, (near Haytor)
  7. Heath lobelia – DWT Andrew’s Wood, (in Avon Valley)
  8. Devon whitebeam – DWT’s Culm grassland sites, north-west Devon
  9. Dormouse – DWT nature reserves across Devon including Lady’s Wood (near South Brent) and Meeth Quarry (near Hatherleigh)
  10. String of sausages lichen – DWT’s Dartmoor oak woodland reserves such as Dart Valley and Blackadon
  11. & 12. Pearl bordered fritillary & small pearl bordered fritillary butterflies – DWT Marsland nature reserve, on the Atlantic coast where Devon meets Cornwall
About Devon Wildlife Trust: Devon Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading environmental charity, with 35,000 members. The charity manages 52 nature reserves and six Valley Parks across Devon, including a range of beautiful landscapes such as woodlands, meadows, wetlands and heaths. Devon Wildlife Trust relies on charitable donations, grants and the generous support of its members and the general public to raise more than £4million every year. Money raised is spent maintaining our work for wildlife conservation and education in Devon, for present and future generations. More at www.devonwildlifetrust.org

Monday, 21 December 2020

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year to everyone. Thank you all for your support, comments, likes and follows over the past year. Roll on 2021 it can only get better. Cheers Pat 

Thank you to the NHS, keyworkers and all those who have kept on working and keeping us safe in the towns, on the coast and in the countryside through this pandemic.

Little White Sparkly Town December 2020. North Devon Focus - Photo credit B. Adams.
Bideford: Little White Sparkly Town December 2020. Photo credit B. Adams.
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👀👀👀
Pat Adams North Devon Focus 

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Birdwatching. Life on the Torridge Estuary

Sometimes you don't need words, just watching nature is enough. The clip below was taken on a not very bright day on the 2nd December when the tide was out on the Torridge Estuary.  A murmuration, but not Starlings, however we enjoyed watching the flock rise and swirl up, up, down and around then quite a while. I have since found out that the birds were Golden Plover. Are they making a stop on their migration or over-wintering here

The Torridge Estuary is a haven for migrating birds but I haven't seen a flock this large before. In November I saw three Cormorant, each sitting on their own rock spot, four Egret, several gulls and a flock of Redshank swirling over the Skern. Scroll down for video clip....click through to YouTube if you want to watch on full screen....relax and enjoy. 

 Life on the Biosphere - Video clip credit Pat Adams (North Devon Focus)

For the Record, Life on Lockdown  Covid19 Day 254

Thursday, 3 December 2020

Hello December. Robin's Winter song on lockdown Day 253

It's the first day of December, Covid19 Lockdown Day 253 not the brightest of times as we are in our second lockdown since March but there have been some fantastic skies, vibrant sunsets and awesome cloud formations.  Thank goodness for nature bringing us some joy in these difficult times.

Local walks and beaches have been heaving over the Summer so most days I have been restricted to watching the wildlife through my window and the garden.

Our resident hedgehogs have not visited for over a week, I have still left water at the door just in case. I am happy to say we have had hedgehogs in the garden for over twenty years and for the past couple of years have had a Trail Cam to capture their nocturnal pursuits. 

I could hear the Robin singing his heart out, but couldn't see him.....you've got to love nature's way of  hiding in plain sight.

Friday, 23 October 2020

Halloween Spooktacular Starts This Weekend! Fun by Day- 24th October to 1st November at the Big Sheep, Bideford

Bring your family for an unboo-lieveable Halloween day out!

The Big Sheep farm is transformed with spider webs, pumpkins and friendly ghouls and ghosts - it's time to trick or treat the kids to an autumn day out they'll not forget.

There are limited tickets remaining and due to our strict covid-19 measures meeting the highest of safety standards, we are expected to sell out of our limited capacity each day. We highly recommend you book early to avoid disappointment!

Join the flock this Halloween for a family day filled with fun and laughter. Carve your own pumpkin to take home while stocks last, then try your hand at the witches flying school. Challenge the family to spot all the friendly spooks and beasties as you take a ride on the ghost train. With our rampage roller coaster, all-weather play barn with slides tunnels and ball pits (time limitations apply), your little ones will be spookily entertained all day.

Plus, daily fancy dress competition with prizes…. and introducing for 2020 our ‘socially distanced Halloween Monster’s Ball’!
Halloween Highlights:
NEW FOR 2020
 ðŸ‘€ðŸ‘€ðŸ‘€
  • Socially Distanced Halloween Monster’s Ball**
  • Pumpkin Carving*
  • Witches Flying School
  • Ghost Train Ride
  • Fancy Dress Competitions with Prizes

LIMITED TICKETS REMAINING - BOOK TODAY!
Saturday 24th October until Sunday 2nd November
Halloween Spooktacular Starts This Weekend! Fun by Day- 24th October to 1st November at the Big Sheep, Bideford
The Big Sheep, Abbotsham, Bideford, North Devon, EX39 5AP
Tel: 01237 472366