A Terrific Trinity Trio
 Cirl bunting. Image credit: Richard Philips
Ranger James shares welcome news from Trinity Hill LNR: "I always find it a joy to visit Trinity Hill, but this summer is extra special with three very, very exciting birds now observed using the site.
For the last two summers we have seen a tree pipit displaying on the heath. They have a very distinctive display flight in which they fly up and descend slowly with their tail bolt upright, wings fluttering in what is known as a parachute flight. They call on their descent and land – and here’s the identifying clincher – in a tree! A heathland specialist, its been gratifying to see these birds return with improvements to our site’s grazing regime.
I thought that couldn’t get any better, until this spring when one regular birder spotted a Dartford Warbler on site! This is East Devon’s most charismatic heathland specialist, with an infamously slow rate of populating new sites. Back in the 1980s there were as little as 7 pairs of these birds in the entire UK so to have this bird appear at Trinity Hill LNR is very encouraging.
And there I thought it would end, no? They say good things come in threes and how appropriate at Trinity Hill that we have had a superb record of a singing male cirl bunting on the site for several weeks now! Looking like one of the resident yellowhammers with a bandit mask, and calling with a very similar, but truncated song, cirl buntings weren’t even in East Devon 10 years ago, having reached as far as the Teignbridge side of the Exe on their amazing population growth from a small historical population in the South Hams. Over those years they have slowly moved East and this is by far the most Easterly Devon bird that I know of. I’m conveniently overlooking a Dorset record for this year! Typically a bird of coastal farmland, the stable populations of yellowhammer at Trinity Hill are a good indicator that this site will support them if it is able to one day persuade a female to join him."
Join our 'wild' events this summer
 Our events season is in full swing.
Join the team for a variety of events from family fun days to guided nightjar walks.
follow the link to find out more and book yourself in. We can't wait for you to join us!
Introducing: Swift cam!
 Many visitors to Seaton Wetlands will be familiar with our spring favourite Kestrel Cam, a chance to follow the daily development of a brood of kestrel chicks on screen in the Discovery Hut each morning between first egg being laid (11th April) through to the chicks fledging – due to take place this year in early June. However, new for 2023 is a nest cam showing the incredible nesting behaviour of swifts, one of our hardest to encounter birds! Swifts are truly aerial specialist, only landing to lay eggs and incubate them, ever other facet of their life takes place on the wing!
Because of this adaptation to a life in flight, they tend to nest at height and need a significant drop out of the entrance to the nest for them to take flight. This makes their nests hard to survey and very hard to install cameras. James used a cherry picker earlier in the year to install a camera in one of the 16 swift nest boxes on site, and this box has been chosen by the birds and three eggs laid! We will continue to open the Discovery Hut every morning until these chicks have fledged the nest – a movable feast with these birds!
To get this privileged glimpse and to learn more about these fascinating birds, pop along to Seaton Wetlands one morning soon.
Buy local - charcoal from East Devon
 With the recent warm weather, and summer on the horizon, what better time is there to stock up on some of our Wild East Devon Charcoal?
Our charcoal is produced in small batches using wood harvested from our nature reserves during habitat management. Trees that have blocked footpaths or are causing a potential hazard, material removed from hedgerows, and by-products of traditional woodland management: any native hardwoods that we can’t leave onsite for the benefit of nature we collect and store to make our high-quality charcoal.
Once the wood has been split and dried the team load it into our Exeter Retort. In comparison to traditional kilns, the retort is an efficient and effective way to produce exceptional quality charcoal, reducing waste and producing a cleaner and more controllable burn.
All of the wood used comes from within the East Devon District, meaning it has never travelled more than thirty miles before being processed into charcoal. Without the addition of chemicals used in many commercial charcoals, Wild East Devon charcoals burns cleanly and evenly ensuring perfectly cooked bangers and burgers!
Available from a selection of independent retailers across East Devon, Wild East Devon Charcoal allows you to enjoy the perfect barbeque whilst also supporting our crucial conservation work.
Ringing restarts
 Due to changes within the group and the onset of Avian Influenza, bird ringing at Seaton Wetlands had been put on hold since last autumn. However, this week saw the Axe Estuary Ringing Group recommence its activities on site with a session in the northernmost field at Colyford Common. Of note were a number of greenfinches, a species which has been badly affected in recent years with trichomonas and its local population had fallen off a cliff edge. Five greenfinches were ringed in total, all for the first time, as this species recovers in number on the site where they were once a very numerous finch. Is this a sign that we have developed a resistant population or perhaps that the viral infection is abating locally? Time will tell. A re-caught chaffinch was also an interesting bird to have found again, proving itself to be at least 5 years old and illustrating how important habitat continuity is for bird species which can remain faithful to a site over many years.
Ringing plays an important part in how we develop an understanding of the bird populations using the nature reserve and giving us early warning signs of population fluctuations which could require immediate action to remediate.
Wild Honiton launch hailed a success!
 The launch of Wild Honiton was a resounding success with around 250 people attending through the day. Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun, whether craft activities or a 'Waggy Walk' with Devon Loves Dogs.
There will be a variety of future events in the summer holidays including stream dipping, bug hunting, creative crafts, bat box making and guided bat walk and an unmissible opportunity to join our Teddy Bear’s picnic.
Details will be on our events webpage, as they become available.
Take a circular walk around Trinity Hill LNR
 We have partnered up with the 'Mile with a smile' campaign to support Devon carers. We have created two mile long loop walks, one at Seaton Wetlands and the other at Trinity Hill nature reserve. Each is a mile long and takes in breath-taking views over Axminster or Seaton Wetlands. Enjoy a leisurely stroll around our Trinity Hill Local Nature Reserve and you may hear yellowhammers calling, complete this walk at dusk you you might be in with a chance of hearing and seeing the nightjar, a rare summer migrant. Seaton Wetlands provides an even terrain making it wheel friendly.
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