Wildlife at Sea View Campsite, South Devon

South Devon teems with diverse wildlife. The Slapton Ley freshwater lake attracts a variety of birds, including tufted ducks and warblers. Nearby beaches at Torcross and Start Point offer sightings of basking seals, while wooded valleys and coastal paths reveal roe deer and vibrant butterflies. This region is a haven for nature lovers, promising a brief escape into the rich biodiversity of South Devon.

MAMMALS

Hedgehogs

We are fortunate enough to support a healthy hedgehog population. We try to leave some “scruffy’ areas to allow good hiding and feeding sites for them and we ensure that fences don’t stop them from moving around too much. Campers, and their dogs, may help to protect these prickly mammals by scaring off some of the badgers and foxes that predate on them. Please drive carefully across the site at night, though!

Bird WATCHING

Cirl Bunting

We are very lucky to have a population of rare Cirl Bunting in the area Provision of an uncut grass margin, in the fields adjacent to the campsite, will help to provide a habitat for insects and small mammals, a nesting site for our ground nesting birds and a foraging site for owls, buntings and hedgehogs, among others. Listen out for the distinctive call of the bunting.

Skylarks

We leave areas of uncut grass, to allow ground-nesting Skylarks (and pheasant) to nest. Our old, unimproved meadow grass provides a perfect environment for them. A path mowed around the fields will provide access during this period; please keep to the path.

Bees and Bugs

As the campsite land has had no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides for at least 40 years, the invertebrate population is good. This helps to support our hedgehogs, moles and birdlife.

ECO FRIENDLY campSITE MANAGEMENT

Conservation and campsite management

We work very hard to keep improving the campsite for both our camping guests and our wild residents.

The land on either side of the campsite had been in arable production for many years when we acquired it and seeded it with meadow grass. We aim to reduce the need for chemical intervention and to introduce more species of wild flower to these fields to increase its attractiveness to bees and other insects. Currently these fields are used to provide winter feed for our neighbour’s cattle. They are cut twice a year in May/June and September, which allows time for skylarks to nest and raise several broods of chicks.

• Winter 2016
  We added grass banks to create shelter, turfed them with meadow grass and seeded with wild flower seed, with the aim that they naturalize to resemble existing hedgerows. We planted over 600 natural hedgerow trees and shrubs in the top of these banks to increase the shelter that they provide, both for campers and our hedgerow bird population.

• Winter 2019
  We planted a selection of 200 native trees and shrubs along the fence In the small paddock.

• Spring 2023
  A pheasant successfully hatched 11 chicks in the long grass at the base of our young hedge and spent the next few weeks nurturing them in the paddock.

• Winter 2025
  Joe and a volunteer team from Devon Rural Skills Trust laid some of the hedges in the fields surrounding the campsite in order to thicken up the growth. The traditional Devon style is for 2 rows of hedging trees on top of an earth bank. Our hedges are mainly of blackthorn, hawthorn and hazel. We planted over 300 additional trees to fill gaps in the hedgerows.

The aim of the environmental work that we are doing is to provide even better natural surroundings for our wild residents and the campsite and we would ask campers to work with us in protecting our environment. Enjoy the open spaces but please keep off the banks and out of the hedgerows, to allow wildflower seedlings and trees to get established and remain undamaged. Please ensure that any litter, food, barbecue ash and dog waste is placed in the appropriate bin. If you have borrowed barbecue blocks please return them so that someone else can use them to keep the grass from scorching. We hope that you enjoy your surroundings and the beautiful song of the skylarks.

NATURE GALLERY