Wildlife Watching

BIRD WATCHING

The shoreline and North Hill provide opportunities to spot a diverse range of bird life.

Oystercatchers and egrets patrol the coastline.  High on North Hill there is a diverse range of habitats: cliffs, gorse and heather moorland, woodland and farmland.  Here you could see buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels and the king of the skies, the peregrine falcon. A wealth of smaller birds such as stonechats, skylarks and a myriad of warblers can also be found.  If you're really lucky you may hear or see a Dartford Warbler.

 

DEER WATCHING

red deer

If you want to spot the wild red deer of Exmoor, you need to be an early lark or a night owl!  Exmoor is home to England's largest herds of wild red deer. These roam freely over its moors and hide in its combes and are commonly found on North Hill.  The best time to spot them is early morning and at dusk

 

EXMOOR PONIES

North Hill is one of the best places to get a good view of our native pony.  They roam free so it may take a bit of time to find them but they're well worth the effort.  They're a placid breed and don't mid posing for photo shoots but please don't approach the ponies as they may kick or bite and shouldn't be encouraged to come too close to you. Please do not try and feed them either and be aware of livestock such as ponies and sheep when driving across the moor.