Bovey Heathfield, 1st July 2026

16 members of the group plus the two leaders Jacqui and Claire met at 9pm at the entrance to Bovey Heathfield reserve.  Some of our number who came from Exeter had to cope with an unexpected main road closure enroute but managed to find a way to the venue.

It was still quite light as we slowly made our way up the lane and along the main path of the reserve, the moon having been full on the previous night was not due to appear until around 10.30pm.  We heard a Yellowhammer calling and managed to see it, then stood for a while watching a family of Pied Wagtails acrobatically jumping around the heather, catching flying insects. We were also fortunate to see a Wheatear sitting on a bush in front of this performance.  Stonechats and Skylarks were heard as we walked along and we had fly-bys from Herring Gulls, Swallows and Crows.

It gradually became darker and cloudier around 10pm when we reached the vantage point at the top of the reserve.  We quickly saw our first Nightjar which suddenly took flight from the nearby undergrowth, having probably been disturbed by our presence.  We had to wait about 20 minutes longer before we could clearly hear the churring and odd contact calls being made before other Nightjars started to forage for moths in flight, with some flying almost directly over the group.  It is always a slightly mysterious and thrilling experience to see these birds flying silently overhead in the gloom and the sight was appreciated by the group. 

As we made our way back along the main path, we were fortunate enough to see 4 female glow worms glowing in the bushes waiting to be discovered by the flying males of the species.  To say they helped to light our way back would be an exaggeration, but they were a welcome sight!

Claire Savaryn

10 species identified (H – heard only)

Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Linnet, Nightjar, Pied Wagtail, Siskin (H), Skylark, Swallow, Wheatear, Yellowhammer.