Welcome Lydia: our new Seaton Wetlands ranger!
Hi, I’m Lydia and I’m really excited to have just started as the Seaton Wetlands Ranger.
I am passionate about nature and, in particular, water and all that lives in and around it. I explored this through my BEng in Civil Engineering and MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation Planning. I immersed myself in ecosystem restoration, rivers in particular, and, of course, the topic of beavers!
Patience pays off: Swifts at Seaton Wetlands
 For eight years a pole stood on Stafford Marsh, part of the Seaton Wetlands complex, adorned with a collection of 16 plywood boxes with little oval holes in the front. The installation was intended to attract swifts to the Local Nature Reserve to breed, but for most of its existence it was a handy perch for crows and a great tit pair had successfully raised a brood one spring.
Swifts are an amazing aerial bird, never coming down to ground level and seldom landing apart from the need to lay eggs. Their numbers are declining, thought to be mainly due to a lack of breeding space, and so the swift tower was installed to rectify this for the local area.
 With all the large amount of rainfall in May followed by warmth, vegetation growth has been fairly prolific and several sections of the coast path are likely in need of clearance.
That said, the route from Axmouth to Lyme Regis should be clear for a few weeks - and is an unusual wooded route for a coastal walk.
 On 30th May we were delighted to bring back the popular annual plant sale at Seaton Wetlands.
With support from Wild East Devon rangers, the sale was run by our volunteers who were able to share their gardening knowledge and enthusiasm with our visitors to help them find the perfect veg, flowers and shrubs for their gardens.
 Walk: 1.5 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Terrain: Some uneven ground, one incline
What to bring: Sturdy footwear. Long trousers are recommended to avoid ticks. Binoculars for bird watching and enjoying views over the Axe Valley.
Car park: There is limited car parking at Trinity Hill Local Nature Reserve
A visit to Wild East Devon’s Trinity Hill Nature Reserve offers a chance to explore a beautiful heathland habitat. Located just outside Axminster, the site has an extensive network of footpaths allowing you to fully explore the reserve or extend your walk further afield.
Heathlands provide important habitats for many scarce and threatened invertebrates, plants and birds. Bring your binoculars and look out for linnets, yellowhammers and stonechats singing from tall shrubs on the heath.
 You may have met, Sama, Amelia and Julie from the South East Devon Wildlife and Devon Loves Dogs teams? You can stay up to date on the areas they help to care for on East Devon's Pebblebed Heaths, the Exe Estuary and Dawlish Warren. Sign up to their newsletter and find out more about the wildlife in your area and what the mitigation team have been up to. If you're a dog lover, the social Waggy Walks are back! You need to book to come along, but the walks are still free. You can become a member of Devon Loves Dogs too - it's free and you will receive their quarterly news!
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