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On the water T


BY NIGEL MORTIMER Estuaries Office South Devon AONB


here is a lovely perception that our wildlife pretty much took back ownership


of the countryside as we were locked-in by Covid-19. There is a certain romance to this idea and for me a Larson cartoon springs to mind of two cows chatting in a field, only to chew the cud and do cow things whenever a car passes! Certainly we saw things working from home, like a long- tailed tit pecking at our home- office window each day, but since we weren’t there Before Covid – who knows? The main thing is that many of us became more conscious and more precious of the wildlife on our doorstep. With less people out ‘on the


water’ of our estuaries and coast, incidentally disturbing the wildlife, I would certainly have expected the wildlife to have gradually come back further in to the beaches, creeks and channels. From fish, birds and seals to the distinct possibility of otters, porpoise and dolphins - one would certainly follow the other … that’s how food chains work. It is even possible that some of the vegetation will have settled and grown differently - without the wash of boats and ‘close-shave’ of their propellers.


and friends boasted of seeing several there in the same place. Normally, the same seals can be seen hauled out just 50m away but on a rocky island where they know people, or our dogs, seldom get to… Some animals will always be


Certainly, as lockdown started to


be released and we wandered and travelled further afield, we were encouraging others to head out calmly and quietly to best enjoy a


Estuaries are just fabulously rich and interesting habitats for wildlife


glimpse of that wildlife - before it was reminded of our presence and why it kept a distance from us in the first place. We ourselves saw a large grey seal hauled out onto one of our favourite mainland shores where we’d never seen one before


more wary than others but most animals do learn – fright and flight takes energy so many animals wouldn’t bother if it felt safe … but taking an interest and staring right at them will make them wonder what is coming next! Very often, if you keep walking, cycling, driving or sailing by as if you hadn’t noticed them, they’ll stay where they are and get on with their thing. Having a dog off a lead with you can be a major disturbance factor – many animals will have learnt that dogs off leads can be highly unpredictable and will be given little or no tolerance - some will even learn to recognise a lead. Confidence is another major


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