these majestic, charismatic ocean dwellers are elusive and often keep themselves offshore, so are hard to spot. If you come closer to the coast- line it is not uncommon to spot bottle nose dolphins, porpoises, sun fish and of course, our much loved Atlantic grey seal. We are actually very fortunate here in Dartmouth to have our very own resident colony, living on the small rocky outcrop just out of the river mouth, at the Mewstone. In the summer months you will often find these curious creatures lazing on rocks out to sea, soaking up the sun’s rays between the odd fishing spree. You may also see them


“You may also see them alongside the


quay in town trying to get an easy snack by eating the fish


off somebody’s fishing line!”


alongside the quay in town trying to get an easy snack by eating the fish off somebody’s fishing line! During the winter months the grey seals do not leave our shores but in fact re- side up the river Dart, taking refuge and raising their young. Although we are very fortunate


that these amazing megafauna call our Devon waters their home, we must not forget about the weird and wonderful small critters that live on our shores. We have a diverse coast line made up of many inshore habitats, including, sand and rock crevices, kelp forests and seagrass beds, which are the world’s only marine flowing plants. These grassy beds act as juvenile fish nurseries


So how can we see all these incredible areas and the wildlife that lives within?


• TAKE TO THE WATER, whether it is on a stand up paddle board or a kayak. This mode of water transport is non-invasive and allows you to observe animals behaving naturally, within their natural habitat. But never get too close; always allow the animals to come to you.


• TAKE A STROLL. Pick up your net and ID book and head down to the rocky shore to discover what lives in the rock pools and beneath the rocks at low tide, but always be careful when disturbing these animals, always hide them back where you found them or else they may become a seagull’s lunch!


• TAKE A BOAT UP RIVER to observe the seals (October-April) and watch for nesting herons and egrets in the trees.


• TAKE A BOAT OUT TO SEA, you might be lucky enough to spot a dolphin or seal (summer months). Look up to the cliffs and you may see nesting peregrine falcons, guillemots and fulmars.


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