Devonshire's East Devon magazine September October 2018
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Before the drought<br />
You guessed it, the drought - ground parched<br />
me right, a good crop of swedes<br />
is some forty tons to the acre,<br />
(showing my age!) not 40 plants<br />
to the acre as I saw in one field<br />
I walked recently. The issue of<br />
increasing world temperatures is<br />
of grave concern and maybe we<br />
all need to think very carefully<br />
about how we need to change our<br />
modern lives to ensure we pass this<br />
planet on to our children in a better<br />
direction than we are presently<br />
going. I could go on relentlessly<br />
about how I have noticed, all totally<br />
unscientifically, as to how things<br />
seem to have changed in my life<br />
time but there are so many reason<br />
to believe the actual facts now.<br />
Enough, it is not my intention to put<br />
you off reading this, but I believe<br />
it is now time to think about our<br />
legacy to future generations. So<br />
to the more unusual things I have<br />
noticed over this summer.<br />
Though only one swallow retured<br />
to nest this year in the small barn,<br />
it successfully fledged all itʼs young<br />
and soon huge flocks of young<br />
Countryman's Diary<br />
<strong>September</strong> and <strong>October</strong><br />
Foraging well worth getting out to see what<br />
you can find.<br />
1. Field mushrooms, blackberries, sloes will<br />
be plentiful this autumn.<br />
2. Any prolonged rise in river levels will<br />
bring Salmon and Sea trout into rivers.<br />
If not fishing for them the River Lyn<br />
can be a great place to see them in<br />
migration.<br />
3. Large flocks of swallows and martins<br />
gathering for their migration south<br />
through <strong>September</strong>.<br />
4. Many winter migrant birds arrive<br />
through <strong>October</strong>, any estuary in <strong>Devon</strong><br />
there will have plenty to see.<br />
5. Last few days of <strong>September</strong> and the<br />
Red deer rut will start, any cold evening<br />
near woodland close to Exmoor and you<br />
should hear the Stags.<br />
The humble hedgehog, an increasingly rare sight these days<br />
A Fritillary butterfly<br />
gathered over the house from<br />
mid July on. Even better another<br />
couple have now started on a<br />
second brood. Both used old nests<br />
sites as the mud they require to<br />
build afresh has been in short<br />
supply. Recently 40 odd house<br />
martins have been exploring the<br />
gable end of the house. Often<br />
they place the odd spot of mud<br />
in an attempt to build, but never<br />
complete a nest. However lack of<br />
mud has lead to these resourceful<br />
characters trying a new tactic. On<br />
extending the cottage 25 odd years<br />
ago I cut a small hole under the<br />
barge boards for bats should they<br />
wish the roof as a roost. The bats<br />
continued page 33<br />
Butterfly hunter!<br />
15<br />
15
Change language