Canonteign Falls, a family day out.

Wednesday 10th August 2023.

The Falls which was surrounded by so much greenery and wildlife. Photo by Sinead Townsend.

It was Day 5 of our trip down Dawlish Warren and today I took the family to Canonteign Falls, which is situated in Dartmoor National Park, near Exeter. It was roughly half an hour away from where we were situated and though I took a few wrong turns, we eventually got there around 11am. It is the highest man made waterfall in England standing at 220 feet tall and although Becky and I never reached the top of the waterfall (Becky has a very bad hip and could not walk too far), both Sinead and Isabelle did manage to get to the top and took some awesome photos. Though overcast at first, the sun did break through the clouds and at times, it was quite warm indeed.

Several of these Toadstools, Charcoal Burners, were seen along the footpath.

At base camp where there were a few lakes, there were plenty of dragonflies on the wing, including at least two Emperor’s, Common Darters and a few distant Damselflies and there were also a good number of butterflies on the wing. Red Admiral, Peacock, Holly Blue, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper were all seen in good numbers, but as we took the footpath up to the first part of the waterfall, I could see a few Silver-washed Fritillaries fluttering about in the woodland as well as a few Speckled Woods.

Film footage of the Falls.

Becky managed to get to the main area where we could sit down on a bench and admire the waterfall in all its glory. I always keep an eye out for anything of note as I pointed out an inquisitive Migrant Hawker dragonfly that flew just above our heads, down the footpath and back again. As both Sinead and Isabelle carried on to the summit, Becky and I turned back through the woodland path and to the eating area below. On the way down, some Toadstools were noted and I believe they were called Charcoal Burner (Russula cyanoxantha). Even Sinead noticed some on her way up to the summit and took a photo for me.

Away from Devon, back in nearby Dorset, the long-staying Forsters Tern was off Shipstal Point, Arne RSPB Reserve again. Photo by Andy Tew.

There were very few birds seen apart from the Mallards on one of the lakes and a few Moorhens. On the way back to Dawlish Warren, we drove along the B3193 and adjacent to this road was the River Teign. I saw a parking area on the left hand side and fortunately, a bridge going over the river looked good for picking off a Dipper on the river itself. However, I spent a good ten minutes to a quarter of an hour checking both sides of the River, but all I found was a Grey Wagtail feeding alongside the river. Sometimes you get lucky, but quite often you don’t. Never mind.