Wildlife at Warcombe Farm Camping Park
The campsite itself covers an area of approximately 34 acres. The land has been extensively planted with trees and shrubs during our ownership. These have now become well established, and provide much needed shelter for the huge diversity of wildlife that the site attracts.
Between the trees we have allowed grass and wildflowers to grow freely. If you look closely there is a great variety of flora, many of which are quite rare. We will be continuing with our planting program over the coming years.
The trees, flowers and uncut acres of grass around the site are also home to many species of birds, bees and butterflies. For several years we have had Skylarks nesting on site. These lovely birds are becoming increasingly rare due to modern farming methods, and the erosion of their natural habitat. We often have flocks of Goldfinches which perch on the trees towards the back of the park and feed from the ground.
For a while now we have had a pair of Buzzards nesting close by which are seen on an almost daily basis. These magnificent birds of prey patrol above the campsite and have been spotted diving successfully for their quarry on many occasions. They can sometimes be seen at the edge of the fishing lake where they dip their wings into the water. They like to perch on the lifebouys at the side of the water and sit watchfully for very long periods of time. Many happy moments can be spent observing them quite closely before they fly away.
The fishing lake is a real magnet for a whole host of different birds. During Spring and warm Summer evenings, House Martins and Swallows skim the water catching insects to feed their young. They nest in the local barns. They fly incredibly close at times but always seem to miss your head! Snipe and JackSnipe visit the water but are very shy and fly very quickly. We have had Curlews occasionally too. The water attracts the more common waterfowl which most people are familiar with; mallards, geese and seagulls. We have had the odd visit from Cormorants and Shag, but fortunately they are very wary of people and so tend to remain closer to the sea.
If you are up early you will most certainly see at least one of our resident Herons on site! We have a couple of varieties. It is fascinating to watch them at work. They feed on the huge amounts of toad spawn and frog spawn that we have in early spring, and of course unsuspecting baby fish. Due to the level of our fish stock, there is no danger that the fishing will suffer! They are very graceful in the air.
In Spring we often see brown Hares on site. The first time we spotted one, we mistakenly thought that one of our campers had a dog running loose, they are quite large! They move extremely quickly but are stunning to see.
Our lake is a great asset to the park. Even if you are not a fisherman, it is so relaxing to sit at the side of the water and taken in the scenery. In Summer there are Mayflies and brilliantly coloured Dragonflies including the Emperor Dragonfly. We have newts, frogs, toads and lots of water insects. See how many different creatures you can spot! Call in at reception to collect a leaflet for our nature trail, the kids will love it!
Call us on: 01271 870690
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