Birds of Easdon Tor
10 Mar 26
Yellowhammer - A colourful bunting with a distinct clicking call - ‘tzing tzing’ … and that is how I spotted this one.
Easdon Tor is on the east of Dartmoor, England, close to the villages of North Bovey and Manaton. It may not seem a particularly notable tor. Its peak is a collection of dilapidated rocks and an OS trig pillar. However, at its 439m peak the 360-degree view is spectacular, with Hameldown ridge to the west, Haytor and Hound Tor to the south and the market town of Moretonhampstead to the north-east. On a clear day the English Channel is visible in the far distance.
A male Linnet perusing a recent swaling of the gorse on the west side of the tor.
The picturesque village of North Bovey on the north-easterly slope of the tor is a highlight in its own right, with its thatched cottages, a splendid pub (The Ring of Bells) and the River Bovey meandering past. Easdon Tor and its slopes have varied vegetation, with open moorland, bracken, heather and gorse, as well as mixed woodland, particularly to the north and east.
Not an easy bird to spot unless flying high overhead. This Buzzard was hiding deep in the forest on the east side of the tor. It was holding onto its prey - possibly a pheasant?
This varied landscape and the fact that this tor is somewhat outside the oft trodden tourist paths on Dartmoor, makes Easdon tor highly suitable for a spot of bird photography. It is one of my favourite places for a quiet day with my camera and the 800mm lens which is perfect for bird photography.
A Redwing eating lunch. Several winter-visiting Fieldfare and Redwing descended on this holly tree. Within 24 hours all the berries had gone … and so had the birds.
I have meandered around this tor on quite a few occasions with my long lens, spending hours patiently seeking birds. I often bring a portable camping stool and a monopod and sit for long stints quietly letting the birds come to me. With patience this can be really rewarding. Other times I simply hang my camera and lens on a shoulder harness and trek around Easdon, observing the birdlife from one of the many granite rocks scattered across the landscape. And the beauty of it all, I rarely encounter another human being to scare away the birds.
A male Redstart with food. A Redstart couple were busy catching insects and feeding the fledglings in the nearby nest in a granite wall.
One thing is for sure, I will be back to Easdon Tor with my camera soon hunting for further bird species to capture, and for better images of birds I have already photographed. I am particularly keen to observe and photograph the Redstart and the Yellowhammer. But any beautiful bird will do … and there are plenty on this underrated tor.
The weather can be dramatic and quickly change. A snowstorm didn’t seem to bother this Great Spotted Woodpecker.
The collection of images in this blog post is just a small sample of the abundant birdlife in this part of Dartmoor. I will let the photos and the captions do the talking …
The Willow Warbler - often confused with the Chiffchaff, but the beautiful song is a tell tale sign it is the warbler.
A male Redpoll - a bird in the finch family. Formerly there were three types: Hoary, Common, Lesser, but they are now treated as one species.
Skylark - it can be seen performing its distinct vertical display flight on the tor. Sadly this bird is in steep decline across the UK.
A Marsh Tit … well most likely. It could be a Willow Tit as they are almost indistinguishable, but the Marsh Tit is more common. Let me know if you think you know which it is … :-)
A male Chaffinch in splendid spring plumage.
A tiny Treecreeper doing what they do … creeping up trees looking for insects. They can be hard to spot as they quickly scurry up tree trunks.