Finding happiness out on the heath

Exmouth enjoys an embarrassment of natural riches. The town is surrounded by some of the most regionally, nationally and internationally important sites; from the pebblebed heaths to the north, the estuary to the west and the Jurassic Coast stretching away to the east. Over the next few weeks James Chubb, East Devon District Council’s Education Ranger, will be writing a series of articles, introducing, or perhaps reintroducing, readers to some of the most special places he calls his workplace.

• EXPLORERS – a class of children from Newton Poppleford School explore the heathland with the Education Ranger.

• Common lizards bask in the grass beside the paths and bridleways.

At this time of year East Devon’s heaths are approaching their most stunning. The heather is about to blossom, covering the heath in a blaze of almost neon pink. Bird song fills the air, and reptiles bask lazily in the early morning sunshine.

Globally, heathland is rarer than rainforest. The UK has a significant proportion of the world’s heathland coverage, and most of that is in East Devon, Dorset and Surrey.
We should all be rightfully proud of these fantastically rare places on our doorstep. Later in this series we will explore the vastness of the pebblebed heaths, Woodbury and Aylesbeare Common, but first I want to tell you about a very special little site that is just right for an introduction to this landscape.

Fire Beacon Hill lies just to the north of Sidmouth, off the A3052. A steep climb from Fire Beacon Lane is rewarded with some of the best views of East Devon possible. On a clear day you can see from the distant cliffs of Dorset, through the Sid Valley, over the Haldon hills and in the far distance Haytor looms. But don’t spend you whole morning staring slack-jawed at the view, as there is a wealth of life waiting to be discovered just behind you.

The heathland on top of Fire Beacon Hill is criss-crossed with footpaths, bridlepaths and firebreaks. I can spend hours walking slowly along these paths, staring intently at the edge of the heather looking for sunbathing common lizards. These little reptiles are also known as viviparous lizards because, rather than laying a clutch of eggs like a grass snake, the female lizard carries the eggs inside her to allow her to regulate the incubation temperature.

Morning is the best time to see lizards as they come out and charge themselves up in the early sun. You will normally hear them scurry away as your shadow passes over them, perhaps catching a glimpse of a tail disappearing into the heather. But be patient and by staying still you will see the same lizard reappear in a few minutes, as they prefer to bask in the same spot.

• Green tiger beetles may be small but they have a ferocious lifestyle.

While creeping slowly along, look out for the Sidmouth tiger! The green tiger beetle is a fearsome bug, which whizzes about chasing prey equally quickly on the ground or on the wing. If you get a close view of the beetle, look at those massive jaws. They are used to slice through, amongst other things, rove beetles, ants, woodlice – in fact anything smaller than they are.

If you manage to tear your eyes away from floor look up. Not only are you on eye-level with the local buzzards up here, but there are some other very special birds to be seen too. Listen out for the odd call of stonechats.

As their name suggests, stonechats have a call which sounds like tapping pebbles. The male, with his jet black head, white breastband and red chest, will sit on a prominent perch above the heather and make a “chack-chacking” call to proclaim his territory. They are insect eaters, so they spend much of their time picking about in the heather for spiders, craneflies and caterpillars. If you do see one, pick up a couple of small pebbles and see if you can spark up a conversation? Mimic the rhythm of stonechat call and, if you are lucky, he might come over to check you out.

There are two other birds you simply must see as an East Devon resident, as they are a real speciality of our area.

One I will come to at a later date, but the other I want to share with you now. To see it you have to come out at dusk, and wait for a chilling call. A little spooky perhaps, but its well worth it. Nightjars are a peculiar creature, beautiful and strange with an incredible lifestyle.

Nightjars are crepuscular – a wonderful mouthful of a word, which means they are active at dawn and dusk. They spend the day roosting either in a low tree, or on the nest site, a scrape of bare earth amongst the heather. They are perfectly camouflaged and will remain totally still until you almost walk over them! The best time to witness them is as night falls. Firstly, you will hear their call. It’s called churring and it sounds like a softened 2-stroke engine or a bicycle with something stuck in its spokes. Whatever it sounds like, it doesn’t sound natural.

After churring the nightjars start hunting, swooping and hawking over the heather for insects, which they catch in an enormous gaping beak fringed with stiff bristles that act like a fishing net. They have beautiful big eyes to gather enough light to fly in the dark, and swept back wings like a swift – a bird they are closely related to.

Even though the night time heath will be full of mozzies, resist the temptation to put on insect repellent, as this will destroy your chances of a close encounter.
When you see nightjars swooping, try fluttering a white handkerchief overhead. With luck the nightjar will swoop down for a closer look, or come out with me next week and see if I can put this theory to the test!

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