Charlie Elder

Juvenile lobsters raised at the National Lobster Hatchery are released into rock pools at Trevone Bay, where their survival odds vastly exceed those of wild-hatched larvae. The hatchery, founded to protect European lobster populations, nurtures eggs and larvae collected from licensed fishers until they are strong enough for release. Rising sea temperatures and increasing octopus predation present growing challenges for wild stocks, but the hatchery’s work improves the chances that fragile young lobsters will reach maturity and bolster sustainable fisheries.

On a calm morning near Lydford on Dartmoor, shallow pools that appear still are revealed to be full of whirligig beetles spinning, slaloming and dancing across the water. The beetles’ split eyes help them hunt above and below the surface, while their frantic movements may confuse predators. Watching their seemingly chaotic activity offers a brief escape from worldly concerns and illustrates nature’s ability to captivate without offering a clear meaning.

A male great spotted woodpecker in West Dartmoor repeatedly drums at dawn on a plastic electrical junction box rather than a tree, exploiting its unusual acoustics to establish territory and attract a mate. The piece describes the bird’s appearance, feeding and nesting behavior, and explains that its skull and beak are adapted to withstand the impact of rapid drumming.

A winter walk across the wet, muddy moorland of Dartmoor leads to sudden encounters with camouflaged snipe, which launch into the air when approached. The piece describes the birds’ behavior, appearance and seasonal distribution in the UK, emphasizing that the discomfort of muddy conditions is worthwhile for the chance to see them.

A search on Dartmoor leads to the discovery of a devil’s fingers fungus, also known as the octopus stinkhorn, whose red finger-like growths and foul smell attract flies to spread its spores. Native to Australia and New Zealand, the species is believed to have reached England with wartime supplies such as wool in 1914.

A European eel is observed in the River Tavy at Tavistock during a dry summer. The piece describes the eel’s mysterious life cycle, including its eventual migration from British rivers to the Sargasso Sea to breed, while highlighting the species’ critical decline caused by overfishing, disease and dams that obstruct migration.

A walk across Dartmoor’s spring heather leads to the discovery of an empty emperor moth cocoon and several frantic male moths searching for mates. The males live for less than a month, do not feed, and spend their brief adult lives following female pheromones across the moorland.

A winter garden on West Dartmoor reveals landhoppers, small jumping crustaceans related to coastal sandhoppers. Native to Australia, Arcitalitrus dorrieni reached Britain about a century ago as stowaways in imported plant soil and has since spread, especially across southern and western regions. The species feeds on leaf litter and organic detritus and becomes active when sheltered pots, logs or stones are exposed to sunlight, providing an unexpected burst of life during winter.

At low tide on Westward Ho! beach in Devon, a striking metallic-green juvenile fish is found stranded among shallow pools. The writer rescues it and considers whether it is a young European smelt or an immature herring, but remains uncertain because expert suggestions and photographs do not provide a definitive identification. The encounter prompts reflection on the pressure to label and record every wildlife sighting, and on the possibility that simply appreciating an animal can be rewarding in itself.

Conservationists searching the River Culm in Devon find six white-clawed crayfish, a rare success for a species facing possible extinction in the county within a decade. The native crayfish have been devastated by invasive American signal crayfish, which dominate waterways and spread a fatal disease. Led by the Wildwood Trust, the Saving Devon’s Native Crayfish project is capturing native crayfish for captive breeding and rearing their offspring for release at protected “ark” sites.

A naturalist in West Dartmoor finds large numbers of harlequin ladybirds emerging from his house after overwintering there and repeatedly carries them outside. The beetles display wide variations in color and markings, making identification difficult. Originally from Asia and introduced elsewhere as biological pest control, harlequin ladybirds reached Britain about 20 years ago and are viewed with concern because they reproduce rapidly, compete with native species for prey and may consume their eggs and larvae.

Winter brings large flocks of starlings to West Dartmoor, including birds arriving from Europe, creating striking aerial murmurations and giving the impression that the species remains abundant. Yet UK starling numbers have declined substantially over decades, making these seasonal gatherings a reminder of what year-round bird populations once looked like and what could be lost if the decline continues.

A slow worm found basking on a road in West Dartmoor is rescued from traffic and released beneath a heat-trapping sheet in a garden. The writer describes the animal’s appearance and sex, explains how it differs from a snake, and notes the dangers that roads pose to these long-lived reptiles.

After heavy rain replenishes the River Tavy and sends it into spate, the brown trout in a narrow Dartmoor leat become difficult to see in the deeper, peat-darkened water. The surge brings more food and expands their habitat, although the trout remain small because of the limited invertebrate supply. One trout is eventually spotted resting in a shallow, sheltered section before disappearing back into the current.

A stock dove pair unexpectedly occupies a nest box installed in a West Dartmoor garden, laying two eggs and successfully raising two chicks. The writer describes the species’ shy nature, distinctive metallic-green neck and blue-grey plumage, noting that although stock doves are relatively common and the UK hosts at least a quarter of the global population, they are easily overlooked beside wood pigeons.

A pair of wild mallards has returned each spring to the author's garden on West Dartmoor, attracted by a pond and grain beneath bird feeders. Their visits have become a personal sign of spring, offering an amusing and accessible connection with wildlife while illustrating the pleasure birds can bring to people in both rural and urban settings.

A visit to Soussons Plantation on Dartmoor observes a flock of common crossbills feeding in the conifer canopy. Their uniquely crossed beaks are adapted to pry open tough cone scales and extract seeds, making the birds highly dependent on pine and spruce forests. The crossbills roam widely and breed when cone supplies are abundant, but remain confined to suitable coniferous habitat and must consume hundreds of thousands of seeds each year.

A death’s-head hawkmoth found as a caterpillar in a Dartmoor village was raised to adulthood by entomologist John Walters and returned for release. Despite its skull-like markings, imposing size and reputation in horror culture—especially through The Silence of the Lambs—the moth is harmless, capable of squeaking to deter bees while raiding hives, and may migrate south for warmer conditions.

A waterlogged ditch on western Dartmoor supports one of the few southern damselfly populations in southern England and Wales. The endangered species has a short flight season, weak dispersal ability and a two-year larval development period, making carefully managed habitat essential to its survival.

A rockpool safari at Wembury beach in Devon reveals a St Piran’s hermit crab, a colourful species once thought to have disappeared from Britain. The crab colonised Cornwall in the 1960s but was nearly wiped out by the 1967 Torrey Canyon oil spill and the detergent-based cleanup. Rediscovered near Falmouth six years before the visit, the species has since been found in other locations and given its common name through a BBC Springwatch competition. The excursion also identifies several other marine creatures, but the rare hermit crab is the main highlight.