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Spoonbill on Porlock Marsh

We were delighted to hear that a Spoonbill was spotted on Porlock Marsh earlier this month. Spoonbills are a very rare breeding bird in the UK and are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

This stunning photograph by Alastair Stevenson captured the juvenile when it visited Porlock Marsh on 8th February. We also received this heart-warming email from another member who spotted the Spoonbill…

To my delight, I saw my first Spoonbill adjacent to the boardwalk less than 30 feet away from me. I saw it again an hour later flying from the Bossington end in the direction of the boardwalk. Other people on the boardwalk at the same time must have thought I was crackers as I accosted them as they went past me, pointing and saying “It’s a spoonbill, look, it’s a spoonbill”.  It was something very special to see and I hope it is the fore-runner of many more.

Also in the news
The archive team have been working hard on our Hope Bourne Collection in recent months – supporting author Sara Hudston with her new book , “A Life Outside – Hope Bourne on Exmoor”, that will be published by the Society this November.
The archive in its current form was set up by Archivist Dr Helen Blackman, but for the last 8 years has been run by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. Meet three of our regular team...James, Caroline, and Janet!
We are deeply concerned by a recent decision by Defra to withdraw the proposed species-rich grassland option (GRH6) from the Sustainable Farming Incentive, due to reopen in June.