Welcome to Country Side Corner,

Inside information from our MOD expert, Alex Hazel, explaining why Ring Ouzels nest in straight lines....

As you plod across the raised bogs and heather moorland of Dartmoor, only lifting your eyes to see how far away the next Tor is, I know (from personal experience!) that the environment around you is considered only as something to be beaten, to be overcome, that won't stop you achieving your target, even though it will do its best to soak you with sudden downpours, fill your boots with mud and water and try and make you lost by fog.  But the environment in which you are walking is a special and fantastic one, owned in part by the Ministry of Defence.  As you all know Ten Tors is organised by the Army, and evidence of their occupation can be seen as you walk across the moors, from the range huts and flag poles to spent ammunition on the ground.

The Ministry of Defence owns a large varied and complex estate which consists of an area of about 240,000 hectares, involving some 3000 different sites.  They range in size from the 38,000 hectare expanse of Salisbury Plain to individual small buildings and communications masts.  The estate contains most of the UK indigenous habitat types, from raised bogs, to limestone pavements and chalk grassland, and a wide diversity of species, many of which are rare or endangered.  There are also thousands of archaeological sites and ancient monuments.  Ownership by the Ministry of Defence and the nature of military training means that many of these areas have escaped intensive farming, agrochemical sprays and major development.

These sites present the MOD with the major challenge of management and use of a considerable natural and cultural resource.  The MOD Conservation Office in conjunction with the Defence Land Agents, works with the statutory nature conservation bodies such as English Nature and non-government bodies such as the RSPB to ensure that it fulfils its legal and moral duty to protect the flora, fauna and archaeology in its care.  The MOD Conservation Office which is a section of Defence Estates is headed by the MOD Conservation Officer, a retired Colonel with wide experience of both military and countryside matters.  A small staff of Scientific Officers and administrators give essential support.  Being one of those Scientific Officers and a veteran of Ten Tors, I thought I would highlight some of the nature conservation interests of Dartmoor.  Perhaps when you are next walking across the moor, you will take the time to note some of the species and habitats mentioned, if nothing else, at least it will take your mind off the pain of your blisters when you spot a rare species of lichen, or a skylark takes to the sky in front of you.

The following is just a short explanation of what you can see on Dartmoor but there are vast amount of goodies out there to look for such as lichens, bats, mammals, fungi, trees, mosses, liverworts, spiders, grasshoppers, wasps, bees - the list is endless!  However I have tried to highlight features of the moor that you will be walking over, and those that you will stumble across, such as birds, butterflies and dragonflies.

Blanket Bog covers most of the highest slopes of Dartmoor above 450 metres, and is composed of a thick layer of peat, often several metres thick which was laid down over thousands of years.  This peat sponge feeds the Dartmoor rivers.  Bog cotton with its distinctive fluffy white tassels in early summer and long narrow winter-red leaves, dominates much of the vegetation together with rushes, sedges and bog mosses, principally sphagnum species.  Drier slopes and hummocks support heathers (ling and cross-leaved) along with whortleberry (bilberry).  Particularly on the southern moor, purple moor grass dominates the blanket bog.  On these high plateaux rare upland birds such as golden plover and dunlin breed, and in summer the air is filled with the sound of skylarks and pipits, with the occasional burbling call of the Curlew.  Cuckoos can also be heard (they make a cuckoo type noise!).  Granite is abundant, outcropping as tors, and left as surface clitter, (no not clutter!) these clitter slopes support good numbers of wheatears. Burning and grazing are the tools to maintain heather moorland.  Without it, the moor would turn into woodland as tree seedlings grow unchecked.  Careful rotational burning and light grazing removes old leggy heather growth, and stimulates new shoots.

Valley bogs or mires are one of the most important habitats.  Recognisable from a distance by their brighter green colour and from closer in by their quaking surfaces, small and delicate plants such as bog pimpernel, pale butterwort and sundews (an insectivorous species) are dotted amongst the bog mosses, whilst larger plants such as bog bean and bog asphodel form dense stands where conditions are suitable.  Here you can find interesting dragonflies.  The keeled skimmer, four-spotted chaser, black darter, and common hawker can all be found patrolling here, together with the large red and common blue damselfly.  Curlew, lapwing, and snipe can also be found in these areas - many of them breeding.

Emperor moth caterpillars which are fat, green and black with orange warts feed exclusively on heather.  Pearl bordered fritillary and high brown fritillary are rarer butterflies that can be found on Dartmoor.  Adders live on the drier moors, distinctive with their zig-zag patterned backs, these will quickly slither away at the sound of approaching feet and are rarely seen. Bog orchid and heath spotted orchid can also be found.

The River Tavy and its gorge, the Tavy Cleave are particularly important for birds providing habitat for grey wagtail, dipper, and notably ring ouzel.  Raven breed occasionally on the higher parts of the Cleave and peregrine are frequently seen.  Kestrels can be seen hovering over the moor, they will nest in rock crevices or in the boxes that have been put up for them on some range poles.  Smaller streams, leats, flushes and bogs provide habitat for reed bunting and grasshopper warbler. 

And finally, to answer the queries regarding the "out of bounds areas", more often than not, these areas have been excluded because of their nature conservation interest. They vary from privately owned land (peoples gardens!), Environmentally Sensitive Areas, breeding sites; for lapwing and ring ouzels; areas of archaeological interest; areas where heather moorland needs to regenerate, to areas where eroded areas need to be protected. 

Don't forget the archaeology when you are walking - it has an advantage over spotting birds in that it doesn't fly away when you get close!  But I don't want to overdo this country corner and this is not a history lesson!

PS. We also publish an annual magazine called "Sanctuary" and three brochures, one called "Respecting the Environment", one on "Biodiversity" and one on "Archaeology" which are all available free of charge on application to me.  They are jolly useful if any of you are studying geography or environmental sciences, and need to do a project!

Alex

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