Andrew
Cooper has been a wildlife film-maker since 1979.
He has made no less than 30 natural history films, all shown on
BBC television.
Extracts from his book "Secret Nature of the Channel Shore"
will be featured by BBC Devon Online over the coming months.
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PURE
LAGOON - SLAPTON LEY
One of the most prominent
natural landmarks to be found on the South Devon coast is a massive shingle
ridge stretching some 3.5 kilometers along the length of Start Bay.
Inland lies Slapton Ley, the largest area of fresh water to be found on
the Channel coast, and the largest natural lake in south-west England.
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Water
lillies: provide vital shade
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It's managed as a nature
reserve by the Field Studies Centre. The presence of the study centre allows
many students and researchers to monitor and measure the quality of the
water and the life that it supports.
The area is divided
into two parts: the dense reed-covered higher ley to the north, into which
access by people is strictly controlled, and the larger open-water lower
ley to the south.
Compared to the rest of Europe, Slapton Ley has a mild climate, with rare
frosts that seldom last long. This attracts hundreds of wild fowl, including
widgeon, teal and tufted duck, to winter in the reserve.
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A
young heron finds easy pickings
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Autumn brings other
highlights each year for the growing number of people interested in watching
birds. Osprey, bittern and harriers all make regular appearances.
Even purple herons can occasionally be seen and wintering bearded tits
are recorded in most years.
For sheer spectacle and overwhelming numbers nothing can beat the sight
on a clear winter's eve of the starlings.
Each winter vast numbers of starlings arrive from northern Europe to swell
the population of our resident British birds.
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Freshwater:
an ideal breeding ground
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Fringing the large
expanse of open water the broad swaying reed beds afford good cover for
breeding birds, from the smallest warbler to the biggest swan.
In early summer, a growing jungle of reed fringes the open water and crowds
the higher ley. Swaying in the lightest breeze their tall stems form a
dense flooded forest, difficult to penetrate on foot but easily accessible
from the air.
The first chattering swallows, newly returned from Africa, dive overhead
and skin low across the water, greedikly scooping insects from the air.
Just as vocal, but not so easily seen are the migrant warblers that breed
in the reserve, having also wintered south of the Sahara.
The aptly named reed warbler is probably the most common and, along with
the sketchy song of the sedge warbler, adds to the gentle summer sound
of wind-rustled reeds.
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Slapton
Ley: a haven for wildlife
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