Quantock Hills. An Area of Outstanding Beauty

Just before New Year a young ram was severely mauled by a dog somewhere near Staple Plain.  Its injuries were so extreme that it had to be put down.  Over the years I’ve dealt with many cases of sheep worrying and it’s extremely frustrating as every single case is avoidable.

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I have begun mountain bike trail inspections at Great Wood, the 5 yearly thin of the forest is just beginning, and a confused foxglove has some serious timing issues.

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As the weather turns colder (about time) it’s a great time to appreciate our woods with a walk or ride through them as they offer protection against the wintery weather for us and our wildlife.

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It’s been a busy weekend.  Thank you to everyone who reported seeing the Exmoor Ponies on the road around Cothelstone Hill.  They were not the ponies that are resident on the hill but three ponies from Lydeard Hill that wondered off because a gate had been left open.

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This time last year we were just entering a period of hard frost which lasted well into the New Year.  We even had a period of snow cover and I remember one day recording a wind chill of -21oc.
The climate is certainly different at the moment as day time temperatures have been hitting 18oc.

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Last Friday was Armistice Day and the AONB Service was very pleased to assist 40 Commando Royal Marines to put on a Remembrance Service on Cothelstone Hill.

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When the autumn afternoons turn dimpsy, treasure arrives in the Quantocks.  Does anyone know the collective noun for a flock of goldfinches?

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FC Wildlife Ranger Boyd Hay and I led a walk to view the Red Deer Rut on Sunday. We met at 6am and although it was overcast we had good views across the hills as it became light.

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It seems that all the hard work of those involved in the Quantock Commons Countryside Stewardship Scheme is beginning to pay off.  Probably the most striking example that can be seen right now is the amazingly vibrant colour of the heathland.

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The Discover Wildlife event which took place in Ramscombe for a group of children and their parents was especially rewarding this weekend .

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As you will notice from previous Blogs I’m busy fitting in bird ringing around my day job of normal Ranger duties.  We have particular interest in the migratory Pied Flycatcher which soon we shall begin to ring once the chicks have hatch and are big enough.

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I knew last Tuesday was going to be special when I followed a Peacock down the track that goes past Triscombe Quarry, not something you see everyday. 
Jen and I have been monitoring our nest boxes for over a month now and have begun to crunch a few figures.  The first Blue Tit egg was laid on 12th April in Holford Combe and the first Pied Flycatcher egg was laid on 27th April in both Holford and Hodders Combe.  The trend within the regional study area is that egg laying seems to be anything up to a fortnight early, probably as a result of the very favourable spring weather.

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So far the monitoring of our nest boxes is going well and the resident great tits and blue tits seem to be plentiful.  The nest is made predominately from moss, grass, hair (from deer and ponies) and feathers.  One or two have been most striking making use of pheasant feathers and believe it or not the some have even been lined with the nylon from tennis balls probably lost by dog walkers throwing them for their dogs!

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Hopefully you all had a great Easter break, and enjoyed a few too many chocolate eggs.  I’m hoping I might still find some Easter eggs, albeit the slightly smaller variety that can be found in our 160+ nest boxes scattered amongst the woods and forests.

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After just a few beautiful spring mornings, we can now be sure that spring is finally here. I am writing this warming up in the office having checked on our Exmoor Ponies this morning.  Signs of spring are now all around us with snowdrops in flower, resident birds beginning to sing as dawn breaks and Tawny Owl declaring their territories at the end of the day.

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The cold weather and snow has been good for seeing many animals especially birds that gather together in flocks but also picking out the tracks of mammals more often than not missed during the normal working day.

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As the Red Deer rutting season has progressed, my own observations seem to suggest that this season has been a little hit and miss as to how vocal and showy they are being.

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With a keen south easterly wind and the occasional rattle call of Mistle Thrushes from amongst the hawthorns, I stood waiting for daybreak but knew I wasn’t alone.

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One of the most rewarding parts of the Ranger’s job is to lead guided walks and on Saturday I had the pleasure of walking the ridge from Lydeard Hill to Holford with fourteen members of the public as we discussed how the hills are managed and kept an eye open for wildlife.

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The AONB Volunteers spend a great deal of time helping me with wildlife surveys of one kind or another.  This year they helped with several bird surveys and I’m just getting round to sorting the data out.

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On a glorious summer evening it is well worth taking a walk on the common and keeping an eye out for the red deer looking resplendent in their summer coats.

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Last summer the Commoners led a contract to spray areas of bracken by helicopters with the aim of helping stop the spread of this plant and ultimately the loss of the very valuable heathland.

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Last month I began to tell you about the bird ringing and I shall share the results with you once I’ve gone through the records and totalled them up.  However, on one of the days I came across something that was going to take a great deal of my time to sort out!

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This year has been a great year for Cuckoos with some still being heard within the last week.

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Over the past few weeks I’ve been working many late days surveying for Long Eared Owls and Nightjars as well as patrolling.

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On my travels around the AONB & further afield, I’ve seen a lot young birds & animals making the most of what has been a good spring.  From the pied flycatchers in the nest boxes, a young fox playing around their den to deer calves lying up quietly in the woods it’s a privilege to witness these things when going about your work.

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Cothelstone Hill has always been a good location to see Bluebells in all their glory but this year particularly they are truly amazing and well worth a visit.

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Something I really look forward to towards the end of May and into June is bird ringing.  With both my AONB and FC hat on I work closely with Doug Miller (British Trust for Ornithology Bird Ringer) as we visit nearly 150 nest boxes over the coming weeks to see what is inside and to ring the young before they fledge.

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Although the Iceland volcano may be affecting many commercial flights thankfully our migrant bird species have been flying in in good numbers over the past few weeks.

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Woodland birds have had mixed fortunes with some species populations declining whilst others have seen an increase.

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Our volunteers are definitely a hard working lot and last Wednesday they helped Owen and myself completed essential repairs to the Exmoor Pony corral on Cothlestone Hill.

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Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with the deer count at the beginning of March (see earlier blog).

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The swaling season is well and truly over but last Friday smoke was seen rising from Woodlands Hill as a result of a wild heath fire.  Nigel (National Trust Warden) and myself met fire officers from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service just outside Holford before we took a look at the extent of the blaze.

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Any unplanned fire on the heathland isn’t just frustrating but can also have devastating affect on this nationally important habitat.

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Another fine day meant another fantastic opportunity to go swaling. Although swaling can be quite exhausting I must confess that I never tire of this traditional land management practice.

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On a very cold Sunday morning the Quantock Deer Management and Conservation Group’s (QDMCG) deer count took place.  For several years I have worked with Jochen Langbein to liaise with the many dedicated volunteers to cover 44 areas right across the AONB and with perfect conditions the count got underway at 06:00.

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There are plans to reintroduce cranes to the Somerset Levels.  However, one was spotted on the Quantock Hills.

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In a previous blog I wrote about an afternoon we spent with Chris Sperring from the Hawk and Owl Trust as we learnt how to use a recall method for surveying Long Eared Owls (LEO).  This involves playing a CD of a calling male LEO to entice other males or a female to call back.

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Has anyone seen their first snowdrop, heard a Tawny Owl declaring its territory or the blood-chilling scream of a fox calling for a mate? If you have or have any other interesting sightings I would be interested to hear from you.  Another species that is beginning to make themselves heard is the Long Eared Owl, a scarce species throughout the UK but associated with conifer woodland and heathland.

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Weather permitting, the next few weeks promise to be busy as the swaling season begins. However our volunteers have taken part in some training and with their help the work will be enjoyable and fun.

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There are times in this job when you are really grateful for the experiences you are given and when the ground is blanketed in snow, the skies are blue and the views are stunning it is definitely one of them.

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I’ve been a keen bird watcher for as long as I can remember and for me one of the greatest rewards you can have is your first sighting of species as they return whether it’s to breed or as now to winter, often in large flocks.

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On Saturday Tim and I took 14 photographers out over the northern end of the hills as the sun came up.  It was surprisingly mild and the views were fantastic but sadly there was little evidence of rutting deer. 

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I’ve been going out early for the last few mornings to see whether or not one of autumns wildlife spectacles has begun and this morning I was rewarded with a sight to rival anything you may see on the plains of Africa.

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