Tales From The Otter Estuary And Beyond

The Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust invites you to an evening at The Holt – Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club to enjoy two talks with Otter Estuary Ranger, Rick Lockwood, and Jon Avon, Dartmoor Curlew Recovery Project’s Project Officer, as they discuss their birding experiences within Devon and beyond.

This is a ticketed event and booking is essential, to book click here. A bowl of chips and a soft drink are included within the ticket price.

‘Tales From The Estuary Ranger’

Otter Estuary Ranger, Rick Lockwood, tells tales of his encounters with birds on the estuary that help to explain his lifelong obsession with birds and some of the quirks of being a birder, answering the age old question ‘what makes a birder tick’?

For more information about the Otter Estuary, click here.

The Dartmoor Curlew Recovery Project 2021 – 2025

Jon Avon, Project Officer for the Dartmoor Curlew Recovery Project provides a summary and update of the project.

Breeding Curlews have disappeared  from across Devon and the only remaining few pairs have nested annually on Dartmoor but have failed to fledge any young. The Dartmoor Curlew Recovery Project 2021 – 2025 was set up to address this continued decline and avoid extinction.

Over the past five years the project has increased monitoring,  implemented landscape scale habitat improvement and gathered information of predator activity near Curlews. In addition, young Curlew have been reared and released annually by a new initiative called headstarting, developed and delivered by WWT staff from Slimbridge. The first of these released curlew are now returning to Dartmoor to breed.

For more information about The Dartmoor Curlew Recovery Project, click here.

Event Details:

• Date: Friday 24th October 2025
• Time: 19:00-21:30
• Location: Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club
  W3W: difficult.glad.seashell
  Grid Reference: SY 07019 83134

Accessibility

Assistance dogs only.

Disabled toilets and lifts are all available at the cricket club but if you wish to discuss accessibility for this event please contact [email protected]

This event is organised as part of Wetland Weekender 2025. Wetland Weekender celebrates the renewed beauty of the Otter Estuary with a weekend full of activities that highlight the estuary’s vibrant ecology, rich history, and unique recreational opportunities. You’ll have a chance to immerse yourself in invigorating guided walks that take you through the heart of the estuary, enlightening sessions that share captivating tales of the area’s past, and a variety of fun-filled activities suitable for visitors of all ages. What’s even better? All these activities are completely FREE! Don’t miss this chance to explore and appreciate the beauty of the Otter Estuary in a unique and engaging way.