Jan 28, 2020
Fingle Bridge, Devon, UK (by Baz Richardson)
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Fingle Bridge, Devon, UK (by Baz Richardson)
Fingle Bridge
On our way to our AirBnB in Sampford Spiney we stopped for a cream tea at the delightful Fingle Bridge Inn on the river Teign. Fingle Bridge, Drewsteignton
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22/08/2020-Part 1: Walks around where we stayed and Dipper and more at Fingle Bridge: These photos different the ones I tweeted last night
On a walk up the lane from where we’re staying this morning, it started rainy and then got sunny, we enjoyed some stunning Devonshire views of lovely countryside which was a great start to the day alongside being very relaxed at being away and excited. On this walk like I did throughout today I saw more rosebay willowherb and some more foxgloves after seeing and photographing them the other side of the cottage by the lakes last night. As the sun really came out I was delighted to see beautiful Swallows flying very close overhead and landing on the wire, a special moment with a bird we have to make the most of as they will be migrating away from the UK soon. A young Robin outside the cottage was very lovely to see and I saw and photographed one at Fingle Bridge later on today which was memorable. I took the first two pictures in this photoset on this walk.
We then went to Fingle Bridge, my second visit here after 2015 which is Dipper country and as I have mentioned I think after thinking my chance was gone to see one this year it was our main target coming to the West Country to come here and see it today. So we searched. But it’s been said before by Martin Hughes-Games on one of the BBC Spring/Autumn/Winterwatches in the past if you see a Dipper you are somewhere beautiful and it did look absolutely sensational out there throughout the walk today. The habitat of water babbling its way over rocks and through the valley in woodland the River Teign which passes through there. Seeing the waterfall and gushing water scenes was so magical again and the weather really held we didn’t know what would happen it was so sunny and bright today and was so much here. I took third, seventh, eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of such views and tenth and final of another looking up to a higher area above the pub here where some heather was looking very nice in the sun. Wildlife wise it was nice as we walked along to see a couple of Grey Wagtails you find them where you’ll find Dippers so it was encouraging to see them when we needed to see Dipper but I’d seen less of them this year myself in home areas as it’s something I see so often when working out of the office in Winchester. I was also delighted to see three Silver-washed Fritillaries alongside a good few other butterflies including the one in the fifth picture in this photoset.
This is a butterfly at home in Hampshire that is long gone really this year and this one was battered so possibly coming towards its end. But what I found striking today, and what my rosebay willowherb and foxglove sightings whilst away support too with those flowers long gone at home really too was how behind Hampshire Devon is in the season’s progression. At home you’ll have noticed if you look at my posts and photos regularly that I have already seen so many trees with autumn leaves. Today I only saw one in autumn colour, which I took the fourth picture in this photoset of, I have seen pictures online to show that Fingle Bridge and surrounding Fingle Wood look amazing in the autumn with the full colour. But today it still looked so green and almost as August should look actually, so whilst I am still enjoying summer and early autumn sights at home this showed the season is not only behind here it’s been like stepping back in time but its perhaps in line with what I expect from a normal year.
Our quest to see a Dipper was beginning to look a bit fruitless, but I kept saying we must never give up and all we needed was a moment of magic to see one. Luck changes in seconds with these birds. We came across an angler who we spoke to at a safe social distance as we were eating one or two wild raspberries and he had some too and I had some blackberries further on. We asked if he’d seen a Dipper and he had as well as Kingfisher too the Dipper recently and he told us roughly how far along. It was a very pleasant chat. We walked on checking the river at all times and we saw a Dipper! Very likely the same one. That one moment had happened and I felt so happy. We got brilliant views of it on the rocks in the water and it was very interesting to see it flying as I had done before and see it swimming a bit which I never had before really in the flesh. I got my first photo of an adult Dipper since 2014 which I tweeted, we had seen the bird we had come for which meant it was mission accomplished and we could feel anything that happened on the trip now was a bonus and it was a relief to see this my 12th ever occasion of seeing a Dipper.
It was quite an emotional moment really. 2020 looked like a year we could possibly see a Dipper when we went to North Wales in June we had the right habitat and had locations where we looked for them there in 2016 but that was rightly postponed due to the virus at that stage. I then thought and even said I would not see a Dipper this year. But then the Bird Fair was also cancelled and we managed to sneak a staying away trip in to this area we love so much and Dipper was the bird we’d come for and we’d managed it which I loved. It was very thrilling to see this bird today. 10 years on in very similar habitat (My first ever Dipper was at Exmoor’s Watersmeet which Fingle Bridge is like a Dartmoor version of) from seeing my first Dipper I was reminded why they are one of my favourite birds and how much I love it. Interestingly during my last time off work for more than one day my hot week off of day trips in Hampshire and most notably surrounding counties to it in June, on the Friday I watched Julia Bradbury’s ‘Walks with a View’ programme I think repeated where she walked Lynmouth to Watersmeet as part of her walk that episode and saw Dippers which made me very nostalgic this before I knew we’d get to go to Devon so it just made me feel very nice that. Year list wise it was a very important milestone being my 170th bird of 2020. A worthy bird to be the milestone which made me very happy. Equally I didn’t know if I’d reach 170 birds this year it’s been a crazy and restrictive (for the best for us all of course) year a figure it always feels smashing and I am proud to reach I’ve only achieved it six times now so I felt happy.
I took the sixth picture in this photoset of a lovely tall tree here which looked beautiful. I came away once again with a very good impression of Fingle Bridge today what a fantastic place it is, the woods and river habitat I just love so much. There’s also lots of nice picnic areas it’s a typical National Trust place so it was nice to see lots of people safely enjoying time outside this August it gave me great holiday vibes. I produced over 60 photos today a record for me so to help take the burden off the ones I had to tweet when home by having exclusive photos making up my post I did a separate blog about what we did next in our day which shall post next.
Wildlife Sightings Summary: (Around the cottage) Swallow, Robin, Carrion Crow, Speckled Wood and Large White. (Fingle Bridge) My first of one of my favourite birds the Dipper this year, two of my favourite butterflies the Silver-washed Fritillary and Red Admiral, one of my favourite dragonflies the Southern Hawker, Grey Wagtail, Robin, Carrion Crow, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood and Large White.
Becks and Boscages by Richard Fox
October days
a lovely day at Fingle Bridge 🍂
Eerily Quiet photoset by wisteria-spirit
Fingle bridge. Dartmoor. www.spooncarvingfirststeps.com