Holiday park – it’s a haven for wildlife

July 20, 2007, 10:01 am

From dolphins to deer and moths to molluscs, Devon Cliffs Holiday Park is a haven for wildlife.

Now visitors have the opportunity to discover more about the park’s fabulous flora and fauna thanks to nine new nature display boards installed by the Devon Wildlife Trust.

One panel in the £4,000 project highlights Sandy Bay’s “Special K” colony - a nesting area on the sandstone cliffs at the eastern end of the bay, where kittiwakes come to breed every spring.

The colony - the largest of its kind in the South West - has aroused academic interest as evidence provided by a “kitti-cam” bird camera project funded by the park has shown the seabirds are breeding, in marked contrast to kittiwake populations elsewhere in the UK.

Another display board entitled “More Beside the Seaside” highlights the natural wonders on the seashore - from cuttlefish to egg cases of sharks.

There is also information about the dolphins and porpoises which are often spotted off the coast from the beach and clifftop.

A panel in the middle of the park provides a wealth of information about the different types of birds that can be seen in the area. There is also information about the many types of butterflies and moths that can be seen, as well as the badger sett in the park’s Smuggler’s Walk nature trail.

Other types of birdlife at the park include peregrine falcons, and tawny, little and barn owls are also being encouraged by a series of feeding posts, which have been erected in a meadow for them to perch on while they eat their prey.

Stephen Hussey, of the Devon Wildlife Trust, who worked on the project, spotted a sparrow hawk when he was being shown around the park by Devon Cliffs’ environment manager John Ball.

The park has won many environmental awards and another panel focuses on the latest efforts to offset the park’s carbon emissions by planting hundreds of trees and create more woodland which in turn attracts more wildlife.

And, finally, there is a panel pointing out how flushed with pride the park is over its latest green initiative to use entirely eco-friendly products in the new toilet and shower block in the touring area.

This article was taken from: Exmouth Herald