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James Montague
James Montague
The photos below have been contributed by Brett Hornby, taken in the hedgerows around Loddiswell.
23/06/22 Debbie Shadwell
Taken by my friend at the Kingsbridge Recreation Park, a Kingsbridge resident. A Painted Lady, which I was reliably informed of by my neighbour who has a degree in such matters, who I always ask about such things. He is a lovely person who puts up with all my nature questions! He informs me that they migrate from Europe and it is a thrill to see them! I hope you are thrilled!
23/06/22 - Sam Luttman
A Red Kite flew right over the allotments earlier!
24/06/22 - Sam Luttman
I just found my first Lesser Stag Beetle of the year!
22/06/22 - Liz Montague
We've just had a hummingbird hawkmoth visit the garden too - I was luck enough to get a picture!
09/06/22 - Sally Jelffs
This is a still from a video, taken by Sally of two gorgeous fox cubs, near to where she works.
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16th June 2022 - Debbie Nicholson
With the warmer weather it's important to provide a water source for wildlife. So created a little pond/birdbath from an old concrete plant pot. Sealed the drainage hole, large stones put in so not too deep & helps creatures get out. Judging by the visitors, I think it's a success
16th June 2022 - Ali Seldon
Just seen the pair of red kites near Marridge Farm. Between Cali Cross and Fowlescombe. Glorious, gliding against the blue sky.
Sam Luttman:
21/06/22
I’ve just seen my first Hummingbird Hawkmoth of this summer!
05/06/22 Sally Comelio
Gorgeous painted lady visiting our garden this afternoon
04/06/22 - Richard Curzon
Unsurprisingly today’s torrential downpours have swept away the Moorhen nest at Avon Mill. I’m always in awe at just how quickly the water levels will rise and fall on this spate river.
Over this past week we believe all 8 eggs hatched and the chicks were seen confidently paddling along with mum. So I’m optimistic they’re safe somewhere (but quite possibly they’re now resident near Bantham!).
03/06/22 - James Montague
Take extra care when walking near ponds at the moment, the froglets are about! We've got thousands of them around our pond.
30/05/22 - Richard Curzon
Mrs Moorhen now has a job to keep her family safely gathered together!
Six out of the eight eggs have hatched over the past 48 hours (just one egg remains visible in the nest) and both parents busily feeding.
30/05/22 - Richard Luttman
Monday morning 7.00am, a hedgehog strolling casually along the pavement in Elmwood Park….
02/06/22 - Sam Luttman
My neighbour Josie found this stunning Poplar Hawkmoth? this morning!…
29/05/22 - Richard Curzon
Another Moorhen moment...
Today is 'Day 22' since I sighted the first 3 (of what became 8 ) eggs and the first chick has hatched. One down, seven to go!
30/05/22 - Paul Vann
An acrobatic bumble bee!
31/05/22 - Richard Curzon
Mrs Moorhen now has a job to keep her family safely gathered together!
Six out of the eight eggs have hatched over the past 48 hours (just one egg remains visible in the nest) and both parents busily feeding.
30/05/22 - Richard Luttman
Monday morning 7.00am, a hedgehog strolling casually along the pavement in Elmwood Park….
29/05/22 - Liz Montague
I think this might be a drinker moth caterpillar?
30/05/22 - Liz Montague
While working Malcolm noticed a pied wagtail was obviously feeding chicks - he tracked it down to a dumpy bag full of rubble! He managed to take a quick photo before Mum came back again!
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30/05/22 - Liz Montague
Just caught a fleeting glimpse of a grass snake in our field the other day (photo by Malcolm)
30/05/22 - Desley White, Cows in Clover
The meadows at the Avon valley woods at Woodleigh are looking fantastic just now, orchids flowering in the main meadow and lots in other areas too.
26/05/22 - Sam Luttman
I found this newly fledged nuthatch this afternoon!
27/05/22
I’ve found three Great Tit nests around the village this week, including this one in Silveridge Lane…
29/05/22 - Jason Nickels
A mullein moth caterpillar - it's on water figwort around our pond
22/05/22 - Liz Montague
After seeing several reports of cuckoos heard in the valley on here, I was thrilled to finally hear one myself yesterday - near Inner Week. The first one for many years!
23/05/22 - Ayse Rifat
I've just seen a pair of red kites fly over Clark's Barn road.
19/05/22 - Richard Curzon
I observed our local pair of moorhen briefly this morning.
The river has risen by some 10/11 cm overnight. The nest is clearly vulnerable to being swept away, but Mr & Mrs moorhen were busy adding reinforcement!
Spotted 8 eggs (clutches can be anywhere between 2-21) which should be expected to hatch in the next few days.
19/05/22 - Jean Cameron
Not sure, but think we may have seen a young cuckoo being fed frantically with our crumbs by a smaller, different bird down at Avon Mill last Sunday!
17/05/22 - Sam Luttman
I found this cockchafer this afternoon
15/05/22 - James Montague
A rather scruffy looking roe deer with his mate Donald
12th May 2022 - Sam Luttman
I saw a Cuckoo fly across the allotments this morning!
15/05/22 - James Montague
I am very pleased to see there's a pair of Geese and a pair of Moorhens nesting on the Island of our pond. The Geese are doing a great job of keeping the grass and algae down too! Hopefully I will have some pics of the chicks and goslings soon!
15/05/22 - Sam Luttman
I saw two painted ladies this evening!
09/05/22 - Jo McMyler
Think we spotted a Red Kite! Moved too fast for another photo ?
Definitely a red kite - Jo says it was seen over Loddiswell near the tennis courts.
11/05/22 - Richard Curzon
An update on the Avon Mill nest site: I’ve been observing this daily ever since I first noticed it last week.
It’s a moorhen nest and there are at least 3 eggs. For the first time, this afternoon I saw two of them at the same time (presumably mum & dad). Thankfully after all of the rain in the past 24hours the water level hasn’t changed enough to dislodge the nest.
(This image is quite a heavily cropped picture from my smartphone.)
06/05/22 - Richard Curzon
The valley is alive with the sights, sounds and smells of spring!
On my walk this morning I happened to glance upstream crossing over Avon Mill bridge. I spotted this nest containing 3 (or more) eggs amongst the flotsam trapped by the bridge pier. (It shows just how little rain we have had, as a slight rise in the river level would surely wash this away.). Didn’t spot any parent on this occasion, but a good one to watch.
07/05/22 - Richard Curzon
(Sorry- unable to upload the video to the website, fantastic photo though!)
The brutal side of nature.
I was sat by (well, in) the river earlier today trying to photograph dippers. Not a lot was happening so for a distraction I took out my iPhone to video the tranquil scene. As I was panning, I could hear an almighty commotion over my shoulder, then this happened…
At the end of the video you see the sparrowhawk carrying its prey (and probably a parent trying in vain to fend it off). Then the sparrowhawk sat alongside the bank to carry on doing what nature does. (I think the prey is a juvenile female blackbird.)
Incredible to witness all from about 20m away.
I didn’t get any photographs of dippers!
27/04/22 - Liz Montague
The hare was in our garden again this evening - magical!
28/04/22 - Roger Finbow
Some attractive spring spottings along the Avon Valley this week (I think the white flowers are Anemone nemerosa "Vestal"?
05/05/22 - Tasha Green & Steve Bradley
Cuckoo heard in the Avon Valley - the first one for years!
05/05/22 - Sam Luttman
I saw my first Swift today!
'05/05/22 - Sam Luttman
I saw this Demoiselle by the river today!
18th April 2022 - Jason Nickels
Newly hatched Mallard ducklings on the Avon today.
18th April 2022 - Jason Nickels
Bramblings are still visiting our garden to feed and drink from the pond.
22nd April - Karen Oldrieve
Saw these beauties at New Bridge. Egyptian geese apparently.
7th April 2022 - Sam Luttman
I heard my first Willow Warbler
singing today and also saw a
Blackbird with a beak full of
worms; she must have been
feeding chicks!
12th April 2022
12th April 2022
17th April 2022 - Sam Luttman
I saw my first two fledged Blackbird chicks in the Parish Churchyard today!
17th April 2022 - James Montague
I saw a Red Kite near Gara Bridge today so it might fly by Loddiswell some time soon!
28th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
I saw two Roe Deer at Hatch today and my first Lady’s Smock!
1st April 2022 - Phil Comelio
Hi all, I saw these two in our pond last night but wondered what type of newt it was. There were a couple, about 1 to 2 inches long.
2nd April 2022 - Sam Luttman
I’ve just seen two Sand Martins at Hatch Bridge!
24th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
Today I saw my first lizard, a speckled wood butterfly and a wren building its nest!
27th March - Sam Luttman
This afternoon I saw a third pair of Egyptian Geese at Hatch and found a beautiful Wren’s nest!
24th March 2022 - Deer Wood
Lisa and Marc have recently found a lesser horseshoe bat roosting in their tool shed. Confirmed by Craig.
21st March 2022 - Sam Luttman
I've just seen a pair of Egyptian geese at Hatch Bridge!
22nd March 2022 - Sam Luttman
There were two pairs of Egyptian geese at Hatch this afternnon and I've seen my first red admiral.
27th March 2022 - Jason Nickels
First Garden Warbler yesterday, perched and singing, in the garden
27th March 2022 - Liz Montague
Alkanet flowering in our field today.
I know it’s not Loddiswell, but this is so rare I thought it worthy of a mention! I was very excited to see a male hen harrier flying over Slapton Ley yesterday, it was probably stopping over on its migration north. They are one of our most endangered birds of prey, such a privilege to see it! No photo sadly as we were travelling in the car at the time.
23rd March 2022 - Sam Luttman
I've just seen a fox in Elmwood Park go into the old school field!
27th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
Thrilled to see a tired looking female Redstart feeding on the grass in front of the pub just now! My first ever parish sighting!
20th March 2022 - Sally Comelio
Beautiful walk along the river near Gara Bridge this morning including a butterfly bonanza
Can anyone identify the small blue flowered plant? (Bottom right photo.) There was only one of them so I wasn't sure if it was a garden escapee or a less common wild flower. Very pretty though
21st March 2022- Liz Montague
Wild strawberries in flower this morning!
20th March 2022 - Liz Montague
Lovely walk from Aveton Woods to Avon Mill today. I just love wild daffodils! There are still some snowdrops hanging on, wood anemones and dog violets. We came across some bees burrowing into the mud - tawny mining bee? We also saw a grey wagtail on rocks in the river and a kingfisher flashed past - too quick for a photo!
19th March 2022
19th March 2022
20th March 2022 - Jason Nickels
This morning we saw and heard our first whitethroat of the year in the garden.
19th March 2022 - Liz Montague
Tom and Vera, a pair of wild mallard ducks, started visiting us during the first lockdown in April 2020. Last year they were joined by 6 drakes! The drakes were on the pond this morning looking resplendent in their breeding plumage. They took off before I could get a photo, though I did catch one in mid flight!
16th March 2022 -James Montague
I saw my first common lizard this year on the weekend. It was too quick for me to get a photo unfortunately, but it was basking in the sun near the entrance to my field
18th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
Today I saw a Bee fly and a Goldcrest collecting nest material
15th March - Sam Luttman
First Bluebell!
18th March 2022 - Sally Jelffs
Oil beetle and Siskin seen at work today.
13th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
I saw my first Ramsons in flower today!
15th March 2022
No prizes for wildlife photography here, but trust me, it's a Brambling. There is still a pair hanging round since loads arrived in the storm a couple of weeks ago.
8th March 2022 - Liz Montague
First cowslip to flower in our field!
11th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
I saw my first Comma and Bloody-nosed beetle today!
15th March 2022 - Fiona Van Es
12th March 2022 - Lisa Pugh
One of the best reasons to have a ground cover comfrey- they are all out and ready to feed the first bees. What a lovely sight on a sunny day.
3rd March 2022 - Sam Luttman
First stitchwort!
6th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
First yellow archangel!
7th March 2022 - Sam Luttman
I heard my first chiffchaff today!
23rd February 2022 - Sam Luttman
I had a hedgehog in my garden last night. First one I've seen this year!
25th February 2022 - Sam Luttman
I’ve seen a few things today; nest building Dippers and the first Small Tortoiseshell and Wood Anemones were the highlights! I attempted a picture, but one petal wouldn’t behave!
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17th February 2022 - Sam Luttman
Found my first Kingcup flowers at Hatch Bridge this morning and two Hares as I walked back to the village!
18th February 2022 - Sam Luttman
I've got a least four Bramblings in my garden!
19th February 2022 - Sam Luttman
At the river this evening: 3 Goosander, 1 Roe Deer, and the first Wild Daffodils!
1st February 2022 - Sam Luttman
I found my first Frogspawn and Tadpoles near Topsham Bridge!
8th Feb 2022 - Sally Comelio
Not the best photo ever, but here's a goosander we saw down on the river near the station last Saturday.
Photo: Sally Comelio
31st January 2022 - Sam Luttman
I saw the four Pink Footed Geese at Hatch Bridge this morning!
31st January 2022 - Sam Luttman
I found these near Silveridge Weir; Scarlet Elfcups?
Photo: Sam Luttman
30th Jan 2022 - Liz Montague
In fields near Loddiswell we found ourselves unexpected voyeurs of an intimate moment between these two beautiful foxes. The "moment" lasted quite some considerable time! Five buzzards were circling overhead as we watched.
Inspired by a piece on Winterwatch we thought we would hunt for harvest mouse nests in one of James and Rhi's fields. We were thrilled to find this one! It has been confirmed by and logged with the Devon Harvest Mouse Project.
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