Emsworthy Mire

Wheatear

Wheatears are very wary birds. They bounce away to the next perch as soon as you approach. Walking along a footpath or …

There are apricot-yellow fingers of fungus growing in the short sward at Emsworthy Mire. Fabulous, aren’t they? They are the eerie fruiting …

Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor is one of my favourite places. It’s easy to get to, close to home, and not very busy. …

There are still adult Cuckoos on Dartmoor. When they all leave for their migration to Africa there will still be Cuckoos here, …

I decide to get up at dawn and go to Dartmoor. I’ve decided that before and stayed in bed. This time I …

“When will I have time for Redstarts?” I asked a few weeks ago. Well, today is the answer. I’m at Emsworthy Mire …

I’ve taken some reasonable photographs of Cuckoos in the past, despite the dull weather on my days off. They’re so wary it’s …

There’s been an eruption of Garden Chafers, Phyllopertha horticola, at Emsworthy Mire. The bracken is covered in them. The local Meadow Pipits …

I love Stonechats. I’ve spent a couple of very happy days with them: This time I’m just passing through and get a …

The Dryad’s Saddle fungus is one I remember from my childhood. It can grow huge. It has a beautiful scaly skin and …

There it is again; that fluttering movement from something no bigger than a leaf on the breeze. I track the quiver of …

I’ve arrived earlier today in the hope of seeing Cuckoos. Yesterday was a success, with a high-speed chase, so I have high …

I’ve seen a Cuckoo before, but only the outline of a bird perched in the distance. I’d love to see one properly. …

2019 has seen me explore Devon a little more. I’ve been out onto Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor a few times to enjoy …

I try my luck again to get some decent photographs of the Ring Ouzels at Emsworthy Mire. I have a large flask …

There are Parasol mushrooms in the fields at Emsworthy Mire. They are huge, but not as huge as the dinner-plate sized Macrolepiota …

A walk from Emsworthy Mire. Dartmoor is an impressive landscape of human destruction. It’s been cut and burnt and grazed. And thousands …

I’ve heard there are Ring Ouzels at Emsworthy Mire. Ring Ouzels are thrushes which nest on high moors and upland crags in …

Waxcap fungi thrive on damp, ‘unimproved’ grassland, or rather grassland which hasn’t be ruined by artificial fertiliser or herbicides. A trip to …

I hear that there’s a Great Grey Shrike on Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor. I’ve never been a ‘birder’ and I really dislike …

April and May are wonderful months for new growth. The sheep at Emsworthy Mire have been busy. This little lamb is particularly …

Dartmoor is a wonderful upland area of Devon. It is based on granite rocks which frequently outcrop on high tors. I’m having …