Which animals roam on exmoor

This was so that the King of the time would have ample space to hunt and would have a never ending supply of venison.

There is however, proof that the red deer have been calling Exmoor home since pre-historic times, making them one of the oldest residents of the National Park. Red Deer are the largest wild land animal that can be found in England, with adult stags reaching over 3 feet tall, they are very powerful and can also be skittish, so make sure to give them a wide berth if you see them grazing around on the moor.

Because of their varied diet, there is no one place on Exmoor that the deer live and you can find them on moorland, farm land and even in the wooded areas, which is where they typically leave their young. The calves will join the rest of the herd when they are a little older, so make sure not to get too close.

While the babies start to appear in the summer, April and May is probably a more exciting time to be on the look out for red deer. These days, the ponies are semi-feral and are all owned by various land owners, including the National Park and as such are regularly monitored and checked over every Autumn. During rationing, many of the ponies were used as a meat substitute and of course, those left behind would need a replacement for the working horses that had gone to war.

Since then though, thanks to the hard work of various organisations, including the Exmoor Pony Society and the Exmoor Pony Centre, the numbers of ponies has now increased and there are registered Exmoor ponies in the National Park and around 3, worldwide. The Exmoor Pony Society was established in as the formal guardian of the Exmoor pony breed, a registered charity, the society maintains the Exmoor Pony stud book in accordance with DEFRA legislation, is an approved Passport Issuing Organisation for the ponies and helps educate, inform and engage the public around this native breed.

One of the most popular activities on Exmoor is bird watching, particularly in Porlock Vale where there it is common to see a diverse number of birds. Generally, you are sure to spot a variety of species all over Exmoor with raptors such as buzzards, red kites, sparrowhawks, kestrels, peregines, merlins, hen harriers and goshawks being a common sight.

Waders, including sandpipers and oyster catchers are common in the more coastal parts of the National Park, while owls and finches can be food in the woodland.

The rivers are home to a number of small birds such as kingfishers and warblers, plus finches, wagtails and tits all call the farm areas home. Exmoor has one of the most diverse bird habitats in the whole of Devon, so it is a must visit for any twitcher!

One of the most popular walks are the butterfly walks, where members of the butterfly conservation team will tell you more about these beautiful creatures and where to find them. You can pick up guides to the different butterfly species at visitor centres all over Exmoor.

In one such example, a South Molton farmer lost over sheep in the space of three months, with injuries suggestive of large cat involvement. Some decades ago, the possession of exotic species in the UK became popular and was initially large unregulated.

During the s, a law was passed making it illegal to keep large cats in captivity as an individual. This has led to theories of the release of a cougar or black leopard into the wild at about this time. However, the typical year lifespan of these species makes it unlikely that a single animal would have accounted for all sightings.

The sceptical might well assume that sightings are much more likely to be misidentified domestic cats, dogs or deer. Certainly, livestock deaths could be attributed to wandering dogs. Theories of a hybrid species have been discussed; the hybridization of a Leopard and Puma was achieved in captivity by Carl Hagenbeck.

Perhaps some new felid of Exmoor is in existence? Covering a total of square miles, the national park contains a variety of unique landscapes that include high cliffs that plunge into the Bristol Channel, moorland, woodland, valleys and farmland, much of which has been shaped by man and nature over the millennia.

The hilltops and upland are covered by moors of grass and heather and by peat-bogs, cut through by steep-sided, wooded valleys. The moorland areas are of importance due to the wildlife they support — which includes Dartford warblers, whinchats, stonechats, and heath fritillary butterflies. The wooded valleys contain mainly ancient, semi-natural oak woods that support birdlife such as pied flycatcher and redstart, which are both in sharp decline elsewhere.

The cool, shady and damp woods with their clear-running streams offer ideal conditions for lichens, ferns and mosses to flourish. Wild red deer are found right across the area and are relatively easy to see in the wild, and Exmoor is home to all native British bat species.

Ancient trees, unique whitebeams, orchards and beautiful old parkland are additional components of this with rich and diverse landscape. For this workshop with wildlife photographer Nick Garbutt we have exclusive use of a purpose-built hide in a secluded valley in the mid-Devon countryside.

This gives us intimate access to the badgers that inhabit an extensive and long-established sett — it has been there for well over 20 years. Explore the Exmoor National Park in search of wildlife and photographic opportunities in the company of acclaimed wildlife photographer Nick Garbutt. During our time in this unique landscape, we hope to capture images of majestic red deer, the iconic ponies, rugged landscapes and dramatic night skies.