The dawn chorus. The sky is barely lightening, the day just beginning to point towards morning when it starts, growing from a few tentative voices. It would take a sad dark soul indeed not to be moved by this aural manifestation of spring, for it is during spring, when birds are establishing territory and mates, that the dawn chorus is at its most choral.
Once they’ve woken us, the birds get on with the daily business of feeding, flirting and raising young. Now is the time to get out there and see what’s going on and Somerset is very well served for sites to watch birds. Here are a few which can also be incorporated into a good walk, as any stroll is always enhanced by engagement with nature.
We hear much about declining species; an appreciation of what’s out there brings an awareness, which encourages conservation.
1. WIMBLEBALL RESERVOIR, EXMOOR
Back in the 1970s the landscape of an Exmoor valley changed forever. To supply areas of Somerset and Devon with water a vast reservoir was created. Fields, trees and hedgerows disappeared, along with some buildings. One of these was Steart Cottage, an elegant house with arched windows and spiral staircase – but no indoor loo! Its occupants had moved away, some of its feature windows and flagstones had been relocated and only spirits and spiders remained to witness its drowning.
A mighty dam was constructed across the River Haddeo. The water rose. Deeper and wider the valley flooded until the surface of the water covered more than 370 acres. Wimbleball Reservoir was born.
Esta historia es de la edición May 2020 de Somerset Life.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 2020 de Somerset Life.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role
