We were joined in Devon this year by the whole Abram family, keen to know why we do this annual week-long pilgrimage. With decent weather and wildlife in abundance, they soon found out. Day one was spent rock-pooling on Goodrington Sands near Paignton.
Common Starfish 24/05/15 Goodrington Sands, Paignton. Modelled by Holly, Daniel and Ben.
Very silly behaviour.
More rock-pool findings: Worm Pipefish (left), hermit crab (top right) Long-clawed porcelain Crab (next to pipefish) Edible Crab (bottom) and several Common Prawns.
Edible Crab close-up.
The next day we ventured into Dartmouth for a spot of mackerel fishing. The fish were strangely elusive, but we blamed the grey seal which came right up beside us.
Grey Seal, 25/05/15, Dartmouth, Devon. Took us all by surprise.
Tuesday 26th May was a glorious day, ideal for visiting other favourite coastal locations. Firstly: Stoke Gabriel for the crabbing madness...
Ready for action, Holly, Daniel and Ben on the Weir at Stoke Gabriel.
Shore Crab, 26/05/15, Stoke Gabriel. modelled by Holly.
Not the first time Mark Abram has caught crabs on holiday...
Cormorant, 26/05/15, Stoke Gabriel, Devon. Also catching crabs
The kids caught 105 shore crabs altogether, not quite beating last year's record of 115!
After lunch in Brixham we headed for the tranquil beach at Broadsands. Would the Cirl Buntings play ball?
Holly and Daniel, braving a dip.
Cirl Bunting, 26/05/15, Broadsands, Devon. This is what we came for, but it didn't show till after 7PM when most beach-goers had left.
Our family were camping at Woodlands near Dartmouth, surrounded by countryside and plenty of birds around their bird feeding station...
Bullfinch, 29/05/15, Woodlands Camp Site, Dartmouth, Devon.
Nuthatch, 29/05/15, Woodlands Camp Site, Dartmouth, Devon. These guys come really close.
Robin (juvenile) 29/05/15, Woodlands Camp Site, Dartmouth, Devon. Lots of young birds around.
An interesting choice of nesting spot for this family of Blue Tits. Adaptability = success, so Darwin tells us.
At long last, Mark and I caught some fish on Saturday. With no seals in sight, we caught mackerel from Brixham breakwater, and one new fish for me: Pollock.
Our fishing location: Brixham Breakwater, seen here from the ferry.
Pollock, 30/05/15, Brixham, Devon. A winner!
We're always sad to leave Devon and make the long journey back to Lancashire, but Slimbridge in Gloucestershire breaks the journey up nicely...
Common Crane, 31/05/15, Slimbridge Wildlife and Wetlands Trust Reserve, Gloucestershire. A regular sight at this reserve now.
Size comparison: Common Crane v Grey Heron. The crane won in this stand off.
Rook, 31/05/15, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire. Really tame here.
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