Dartmoor

Dartmoor is a haunted land. A visit there seems to take you to a different world with many new mysteries. It is a land of Tors and legends and fairies and pixies and immense beauty. Above all it is ancient with settlements dating back at least 7,000 years. Circles of standing stones remind us of a time when bears, wolves and giant lions roamed the landscape and humans battled both them and the elements to survive. In some places it is still possible to feel their presence and their mystery. Interestingly, 1500 years ago Dartmoor had a Mediterranean climate......what does that say about current global warming theories?

Memories of summer time at Fleet Pond (A male Common Blue)

A Cute Baby Adder at Wood Lane Heath

More Signs of Autumn

I always think that when the smooth snakes start gathering together for warmth it means the first chills are arriving. Often at this time of year it is possible to find 4 or 5 of these reptiles together wrapped together for warmth.

Signs of Autumn

Autumn is definitely here.....yes, humans may still think it is summer time but look at the signs. Leaves are turning yellow, nights and mornings are chilly, the birds have all flown off to Africa and the mushrooms are beginning to appear....soon mists will follow.....

More beautiful smooth snakes

Our most endangered reptiles are busy basking and getting ready to give birth. Some juveniles from last year are also on the move looking for baby lizards and insects to feed on. These larger individuals were basking together on the heath and are in superb condition. Smooth snakes are incredibly rare and it is an honour to be able to see and photograph them like this. They are very vulnerable to heath fires and their continued existence is tenuous indeed.....

Glorious Snakes

As if by magic, the heath ecosystem is changing. The stonechats have vanished with their newly fledged young and male dartford warblers are singing actively from the tops of gorse bushes. The nightjars have switched their timings too. Instead of beginning to sing at 9.33pm every night, they now begin to churr loudly and continuosly at 7.33 pm. This is a phenomenon occuring on several heaths locally so the nightjars must have changed their timings for a reason. Snakes are basking in some numbers and I have been lucky enough to encounter several smooth snakes together recently. I even found a baby one, barely six inches long!