Wildlife at Warcombe Farm Campsite

The camp site itself is an area of 19 acres. We also own an adjoining field of 14.5 acres. The campsite has been extensively planted with trees since our ownership. They have become well established, and provide much needed shelter for the huge diversity of wildlife that the camp site attracts.

Between the trees we have allowed grass and wild flowers to grow freely. If you look closely there is a huge variety of wild flowers, many of which are quite rare. We will be continuing the planting program in the coming years, and with the new pitches that we will be offering for the 2005 season, there will be many more to see.

The shelter that these trees and the uncut acres of grass that surround them have attracted many species of birds and butterflies. For the last nine years we have had Skylarks nesting on site. These lovely birds are becoming increasingly rare due to modern farming methods, and the erosion of their natural habitat. We often have flocks of goldfinches which perch on the trees towards the back of the park.

For a number of years we have had a pair of buzzards which are seen on an almost daily basis. These magnificent birds of prey patrol above the campsite and we have seen them dive successfully for prey on many occasions. They can be seen at the edge of the fishing lake where they dip their wings into the water. They like to sit on the lifebouys at the side of the water and sit watchfully for very long periods of time. Many happy minutes can be spent observing them quite closely, and it is possible to stand fairly close to them before they fly away.

The fishing lake is another magnet for birds. During Spring and during warm summer evenings, House Martins and Swallows skim the water to catch insects to feed their young. They nest in the local barns. They fly frighteningly close at times but always seem to miss your head! Snipe and JackSnipe visit the water but are very shy and fly very quickly. We have had Curlews occasionally too. The water attracts the usual waterfowl which most people are familiar with; mallards, geese and seagulls. We have had the odd visit from cormorants and shag, but fortunately they are very wary of people and stay by the sea.

If you are up early you will certainly see heron on site. We have had a couple of varieties. It is fascinating to watch them at work. They feed on the huge amounts of toad spawn and frog spawn that we have in early spring, and of course numerous baby fishes. Due to the level of our fish stock, there is no danger that the fishing will suffer! They are very graceful in the air.

In Spring we often see brown hares on site. The first time that we saw them we thought that one of our campers had a dog that was running free. They move extremely quickly but are lovely to see.

The fishing lake is a great asset to the park. Even if you are not a fisherman, it is so relaxing to sit at the side of the water and see the activity. In the summer there are mayflies and dragon flies including the Emperor Dragonfly. We have newts, frogs, toads and lots of other water insects. If you are looking for a fishing holiday in Devon we have equipment for hire.