Thursday 20 August 2009

Devon weekend - part two

Early(ish) the next day, we set off for the southern most tip of Devon at Prawle Point. I hadn't been here for years and it was a real pleasure to come to this remote part of our busy island! I guess it's not remote in the true sense of the word, but it was wonderfully quiet and peaceful and beautiful. Dave, our host, led us up the hill towards the coast guard watch point. If you click to enlarge, you will see the coast guard building at the top of the hill.This is the lovely view looking east from the top.I put this photo in by mistake. It's the same view as the one above, but from lower down the hill and doesn't have the same impact I think. I couldn't find a way to delete it once it was in here so, here it stays! (-:This is the view from the top. For any sufferers of vertigo, I wouldn't recommend walking much further towards the cliff edge! (-:We wanted to do a spot of sea-watching so we made our way further down the cliff edge to get a better angle for seeing birds out at sea.It wasn't the best weather conditions for sea-watching, but we love doing it anyway. There is something very relaxing but exciting at the same time about sea-watching. I love it!One of the things I love most about watching sea birds from a high cliff is the different perspective you get from watching birds on their level or from looking down on them. There were plenty of Herring Gulls loafing around the cliffs here as well as the odd Fulmar. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo of the Fulmar, but this Herring Gull was obliging.This rocky island had a colony of Herring Gulls nesting. It is attached to the mainland only at high tide. Dave told us the story about one enterprising fox that used to slip over to the island at low tide to predate the Herring Gull nests. One time however, he mistimed his visit and because of the variation in level of the rising tide, had to spend several days on there!This is the view looking west. I love the morning sunlight on the rock formation.This rock has been completely hollowed out. A good place to shelter if caught out in a storm!On the way back down the hill, we passed these old Coast Guard cottages. I wish one was a B&B. I would LOVE to stay in one for a week or two!One of our target birds for the weekend was the Cirl Bunting. This bird is right on the northern edge of it's breeding range in Europe and the only place it is found in this country nowadays is in the southern part of Devon. This is a male and these two photos are heavily cropped as he was in the process of feeding young so we didn't want to get close and disturb him.You can see he has some food in his bill. They rely heavily on Grasshoppers at this time of year.As we were heading back to the car to start making our slow way back home, we came across these young Barn Swallows waiting to be fed by their parents. There must've been about fifteen of these noisy youngsters twittering away. A great way to end our weekend in Devon.
All the scenic photos show up better when clicked on to enlarge them I think.

12 comments:

Eve said...

Just beautiful Jenny! I love the Bunting with his yellow eyebrows!
I would have had to crawl to the edge of the cliff!

Dog Trot Farm said...

Jenny you have the most interesting travels, with the most beautiful scenery and the photos aren't bad either! You and Eve need to get together, but I get to come along too!

TonyC said...

Hi Jen, I think one or two of the cottages at Prawle are holiday homes....try googling, or call the tourist info centre at Dartmouth or Kingsbridge.

Rural Rambler said...

Very pretty Jenny! Lucky and nice that Eve told me about your blog, beautiful things I more than likely would not have seen. Special when taken by someone you "know". It's nice to have the wonderful personal description too!

Jenny when you visited my blog today to comment on the "old man" you used the word shniffter for our afternoon wine time-I love it!

Anonymous said...

Nice to get the Cirl Bunting anywway Jen. Yes it does look a great place to spend a week, lots of birdwatching.

Chris said...

Hi Jenny,
Yes this looks like a remote place, but heye, see eventually some inhabitants with feathers ;-)
Funny, I got to see the exact same species in France during my vacation!

Quiet Paths said...

Oh boy, oh boy I'm comin' right over to sit for two weeks! (And some walking.) Holy moley! Gorgeous and this is just what I love. You were right, Jenny. Wonderful shots.

Jenny said...

Hi Evie, yes, that head on shot seemed to show more eyebrow than was actually there I think. (-:

Hi Julie, when I eventually come over to visit Evie, you'll have to pop down south to join in the fun!

Hi Tony, thanks for that, I'll look into it. Did you ever stay there?

Hi RR, Ditto, about your blog! I got that word shniffter from my Dad in law. When Chris and I first got married, Dad in law told me that it was the cooks perogative to have a shniffter of Sherry while cooking the evening meal. Something I really enjoyed until recently!(-: So I blame him for that word!

Hi Roy, yes, very good on migration and sea-watching (with the right conditions). It's a long way down from Somerset though.

Hi Chris, yes, I expect Cirl Buntings were probably quite common in France?

Hi Christine, I thought this scenery would be right up your alley! (-: Cornwall is pretty similar to this, plus some gorgeous coves to discover too. (Just to tempt you)! (-:

Mary said...

That scenery is just wonderful! Could just sit there gazing out to sea and be content. Never tried watching birds out over the sea...sounds hard for getting photos...at least for me. What an interesting bunting. Glad you found what you were looking for.

Unknown said...

I bet those photo's don't do it any justice either! i have been on the coastal path before but am staying in a lovely bed & breakfast Devon, short breaks are the best you can keep the trashy themed parks and queues, I just want to be far away from noise and relax and fish

Kelly said...

Oh my goodness.......I couldn't imagine having such a magnificent place to spend time so close to my house. Cliffs and the ocean--makes me think of a scene from Pride and Prejudice. Glad you found your target bird. He is a beauty.

Jenny said...

Hi Mary, yes I could easily have stayed there all day! Sea-watching is great, but often the birds are distant, so not many photo opportunities.

Hi Stephen, thanks for commenting on my blog, yes, it's always nice to get away from the crowds!

Hi Kelly, it would be an amazing place to have a home, but it rather remote for amenities too! Nice for a hoiday I think! (-: