Habitats.

The river Dartmoor is an ancient and un-forgiving landscape, enigmatic and beautiful in the depths of winter. This seemingly barren place is the source of a vital lifeline created by the river dart. Many animals on the moor need regular fresh water. Red deer will drink at the stream and graze at its grassy edges. But up here in winter this vital resource can be locked away frozen for days on end. The winter sun eases the cold grip of short days and long nights. The darts peaty nutrient water is slowly released. The river dart is a fifty two mile journey from source to sea. Trickles join into streams, and fresh water brings life to a wintery world. Dippers stay on the river all year round, dense feathers insulate them against the cold as the dipper hunts for caddis fly and may fly nymphs that become more plentiful during winter. Dippers are one of our first birds breed because of this, many of them will be repairing their nests during January. Grey wagtails like fast flowing streams aswell, but they are more cautious, foraging at the streams edge for any insects that might of been washed up at the waters edge. Kingfishers depend on water to hunt, during the winter they will move to the sea if inland waters are frozen. The water from Dartmoor flows strongest from east to west, merging at dartmeet. Now one big river the dart flows south, getting stronger, deeper and boulder as it leaves the moorland behind. Twelve miles inland from the sea freshwater meets saltwater, which is home to rag worms and other food for wading birds like redshanks. Herons and cormorant patrol the river looking for fish for them to eat. The journey is over, all the way from the moor to sea, its nutrient rich journey is a lifeline for a whole host of animals, that come to rely on the river during the hard times of winter.

Nature walks.

Part one.

Many animals and quite a few birds make their home`s underground. So while you are out and about walking in various habitats, i am going to tell you what to look out for.

Badger sets - Look out for large holes (normally eight inches or more). Their will be quite a few holes spread out on a hill side, where established runs converge. Chewed up blue- bell bulbs in spring, excavated earth or nettles and elder trees are a few other signs of a badger earth as well.

Rabbit warrens- Their will be numerous burrows  (about four inches wide each) that will be made in disturbed barren ground. Look out for their droppings on high points, as this is the way they mark their territory.

A kingfisher hole- Kingfishers make a solitary hole in a river bank. They will mark the entrance  by bird droppings. Look out for the male during spring bringing fish to the female at the nest. He will normally bring fish to a over hanging branch by the nest and wait for the female to come and collect it. This will either be for his courtship display,or for the female to feed her chicks. Also look out for lots of droppings around the hole. You can tell by the way he has the fish in his beak whether he will be eating the fish or whether he will passing the fish to the female or to the chicks. The fish `s head will be facing outwards if he is going to give the fish to someone else or the fish`s tail will be facing outwards if he is going to eat the fish hgimself.

Water vole burrows- Although these little mammals are now extremely rare, there are programmes to re-introduce them back into the wild in Britain. They have declined dramatically over the last twenty years or so mainly down to the mink, who itself has established lots of territories around brooks,rivers and canals.
They make their small holes (about three inches wide ) in the river bank and they are linked by surface runs. Look out for grass that has been chewed down the stem or listen out for a plop as they enter the water.