Summer begins to mellow, winds begin to change and that is the herald for the beginning of a spectacular time of year for wildlife on the internationally important Exe Estuary.
As breeding grounds in Siberia turn icy cold and food supplies there dwindle, this prompts an exhausting annual migration of thousands of water birds. The rich food resources found in the Exe provide a welcome home to these birds, many of which travel in family groups.
With these changes in mind, people are asked to avoid wildlife refuges on the Exe Estuary at Dawlish Warren National Nature...
A new community project designed to celebrate and explore the Exe Estuary and coast, has been launched.
The project, called Tidelines and run in partnership with the University of Exeter, brings together arts, science, local knowledge and academic research to engage local members of the community with the estuary.
Project coordinators Jo Salter and Anne-Marie Culhane, will create a Community Hub to foster collaborative research between Exe estuary residents, students and researchers, to inspire new ideas to make a direct and positive impact on the local area.
A new patrol boat has been launched in the Exe Estuary to help protect wildlife and ensure water users stay safe.
The 5.75-metre-long patrol boat has been funded by the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee (SEDHREC) -- a partnership of Teignbridge, Exeter and East Devon Councils set up to help protect internationally important conservation sites on the Exe Estuary, Dawlish Warren and East Devon's Pebblebed Heaths. Bought from a local business, the £27,000 boat was paid for with money from developers of new housing across the 3 council areas.
Two new areas to protect wildlife on the Exe Estuary are being put in place this week.
Known as wildlife refuges, the areas are marked out with yellow ‘special mark’ buoys which have “WR” in black letters printed on them. People are being asked to avoid the areas, all year round at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve (NNR) and between15 September to 31 December at Exmouth Local Nature Reserve (LNR).
At Exmouth LNR, the wildlife refuge protects important feeding areas during low season for a short period of time. The Imperial Recreation Ground slipway can still be used to...
Today the Exe Estuary Management Partnership (EEMP) launched new codes of conduct for people enjoying activities on the Exe Estuary.
The codes will encourage safe and responsible behaviour on the Exe, for the benefit of all estuary users. They cover a wide range of uses on and around the Exe Estuary, updating previous advice to users. They include:
• Water Users Code • Shore Code • Dawlish Warren Code • Dog Walking Code • Bait Collectors Code • Personal Water Craft (PWC) Code • Exeter Canoe & Kayak Loops (funded by local businesses) The codes can be found at club...
The behaviour of birds on and around the River Exe Estuary is to be monitored for the next three years to understand the effects of people and their activities on this important wildlife habitat.
Monitoring of birds will help measure the effect of new Wildlife Refuges at Exmouth and Dawlish Warren, which will come into force in September 2018.
The Wildlife Refuges were agreed by the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee (SEDHREC) in October 2017 , following a 9 month public consultation.
Chair of SEDHREC, and Chair of Exeter City Council’s...
People are invited to have their say on proposals to update the Exe Estuary’s Codes of Conduct.
The codes, which have been in place for many years, ensure that users are able to enjoy the area in safety while wildlife is protected.
Many enjoy a range of varied activities on and around the Exe Estuary including walking, kayaking, kite-surfing, sailing and powerboating.
Codes of Conduct are particularly useful on the Estuary where different activities overlap, with many participants not linked to a particular club or are from outside the area.
Councillors from local authorities surrounding the Exe Estuary approved proposals for Wildlife Refuges at a meeting of the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee on Monday (23rd October 2017).
Following a comprehensive nine month consultation, views including concerns about safety, from residents and the wide range of Exe Estuary users were taken into account in developing the voluntary areas.
Preparations to help people learn about the areas will now begin.
Next year, the Wildlife Refuges will be marked by buoys and an education programme will...
A report suggesting new areas for nature was published on Friday 13 October. The areas aim to balance tourism, business and leisure needs with the role of the Exe Estuary as a sanctuary for internationally important wildlife and natural habitat.
Advice from conservation experts urge that new ‘Wildlife Refuges’ are implemented to make sure protected birds are undisturbed and have safe places to rest and feed. Estuary users are asked to voluntarily avoid the areas – all year round at Dawlish Warren’s refuge and from mid-September to end of December at Exmouth’s refuge.
Almost 150 volunteers gave up their Saturday morning to clean-up the Exe Estuary -- and the good news is that the amount of discarded rubbish blighting the beauty spot is on the decrease.
The usual assortment of rubbish including lumps of concrete, car tyres and broken glass was found during the 20th clean-up of the internationally important Exmouth Local Nature Reserve over the weekend. Recyclable plastic makes up over 60 per cent of everything found on beach cleans. However this time volunteers only found enough rubbish to fill half a skip, less than during previous clean-ups....
