When you’re lucky enough to volunteer for SWLT, you have enviable access to some free training opportunities, one being the harvest mouse survey training in late February. On a cold and wet day, a room of volunteers from different sites across the Trust enjoyed the view over Roadford Lake while being taught by Sarah, from Devon Mammal Trust. Read more
We have held two dormouse surveys this year at Roadford: one in May and another in September. We have been doing this since 2005 and each year it becomes more fascinating. Read more
For me, early autumn mornings are best. It’s a chance to feel the colder air, breathe in the damp mists, see the dew on spiders’ webs and witness seeds and fruits, full of harvested summer sun, slowly turn sweet and ripen, while above, house martins and swallows circle, gorging the last insects, before heading off to Africa. Read more
As the last survey season for the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Project comes to an end, Ecologist Emma Scotney has lots of amazing findings from Devon and Cornwall to share over the next few months. Read more
The arrival of spring at Wimbleball Lake brings a whole host of changes to the site’s habitats and the wildlife that reside within them. The wildflower meadows are abloom with a variety of colours and smells, the woodlands are thick with leafy green trees and vegetation, whilst ducklings paddle in the shallows of the reservoir and our diverse grasses come alive with the clicks, chirps and buzzing of insects. Read more
Over the last eight weeks we have been joined by an MSc student, Kate Shears, from the University of Plymouth. Kate has completed her placement which focused on ecology, conservation and updating our integrated management plan for Roadford Lake. Read more
It is something many of us take for granted, that on these lovely spring days we have been having over Easter, we can head out into the countryside to enjoy the sunny weather, spectacular scenery and wonderful wildlife that the south west has to offer. Read more
There are very few people who have heard of Nantree and even fewer who know where it is… It was my Gran, who, according to my dad, was always full of stuff and nonsense, who used to take me and my sister there. It was her favourite spot, an ancient pedunculate oak deep in the forest - its buttresses and trunk made an ideal place for her to rest her weary feet and for us to devour her hastily made egg sandwiches. Read more
Orchards are not just beautifully reminiscent of the traditional British countryside; they also play host to an abundance of important and unique habitats for flora and fauna. Read more