What have you spotted on or around Radford & Hooe Lake?
This is an ongoing log of activities of what’s been seen in the area.
Please post your sightings of any Wildlife spotted, strange goings or anything of general interest.
Simply fill out the details in the comments box and click ‘Submit Comment’
A pair of otters spotted this morning at about 6.20am. They had just past the old swing bridge swimming out of Hooe Lake towards the Cattewater. Sorry I didn’t have a camera with me but fantastic to see!
Hi Joseph, Fantastic news! This is the 2nd recent siting of otters on the lake that we are aware of, the first was December last year. We also spotted a pair playing about 10 years ago but have not seen them since.
Would definitely like to see video or pictures.
At 9.20 this morning whilst looking out onto the lake, my wife noticed something unusual swimming through the water…at first we were not sure of what we were looking at. Too small for a seal, but bigger than any of the common seagulls or cormorants around here.There were three creatures swimming, and my wife then realised they had to be otters…or maybe, but less probably, beaver. We managed to get a short video of them which I’ll post on this page later today.
I saw a strange hairless creature on all fours at around 8 o’clock in the evening and it followed me to the main entrance of Radford park and then chased me but when it came in contact with the light it shied away.
On the duck pond areas today.
2 whimbrels, 1 kingfisher, 2 herons 1 of which is an immature bird, robin, great tit, coots, moorhen, swifts, mallard + 9 also mallard +4, canada geese +2, 4 black-headed gulls.
Common blue butterflies, 3 orange tips along cycle path (old railwayline)
Thanks for the update Steve.
There have been many groups of Whimbrels about at the moment too, suprised you didn’t see those? Some pictures will be posted up soon.
Just come home from bird watch in quarry area inbetween pond and lake area.robin,blackbirds,chaffinchs,crows,rooks,swifts,bluetit,thrush,
dunnocks,bullfinch, thats a fantastic bird the bullfinch to observe the colours are spectacular amoungst the greenary of the trees.
On the lake though fairly quiet.
shellducks,9 swans, mallards and of course the magestical kingfisher zipping about by the boat yard. No sign of the new signets yet hopefully this weekend we could be in for a treat.
steve.
Yesterday (January 24th 2011), I saw a kingfisher fly out from the mesh in the wall of the lake, across Hooe Lake. It was fantastic and an unmistakable iridescent blue.
Has anyone else spotted the solitary lapwing that has been about for the last week or so? It keeps getting chased from our garden by the crows.
Animals: daughter saw a badger in the old wharf. Birds: I have seen in the last month at the back of the old wharf houses a green woodpecker, a kingfisher, canada geese, a heron, cormorants,( i saw one dive, catch a fat grey mullet and gobble it down), ordinary sandpipers, a pair of curlew-sanpipers. On my bird table I have had wood pigeon, rock dove,collared dove, chaffinch,lots of goldfinches,siskin and greenfinch. Plus the usual garden birds. Tawny Owl lives up in the trees behind us. Insects: Next door has crickets in the garden, sounds like holidays in Greece!
I can confirm that otters are in the area, as they were also spotted by friends on the foreshore at Turnchapel about the same time.
Are they resident in the lake or have they come down the Plym to explore? I would imagine that it would be a nice project for somebody local and overlooking the lake to keep an eye open. Recent evidence of activity should be relatively easy to spot from markings on the foreshore?
I remember some time ago an Otter was reported to have been run over on the road at Radford dip. So they are definately about.
I must admit to being quite envious of seeing otters on the lake. Lucky you!
Thursday, 25th Feb. about 4 p.m. saw what appeared to be a cormorant on Hooe Lake on a hulk near the causway but it had a white head. Isn’t this unusual? Also a little grebe nearby.
Over the weekend I spotted & heard…
Red Shanks
Swans
Canada Geese (and don’t we know it!)
Woodpecker (hammering in Ashery Woods)
Kingfisher
Black Headed Gulls
Shellduck
Egret
Wagtails
Kingfisher spotted by castle flitting to and thro, also Jay spotted down by duck pond
A lot of Redwings, the odd Fieldfare and even Lapwings on the grass area of The Old Wharf. Presume they had been driven off the moor by the weather? Redwing, Fieldfare & Lapwing in large numbers also in the fields around Staddiscombe & down Bovisand lane.
Flock of redwings in my garden backing on to Radford
Sunday, 10th January ,2010.
A group of twelve Redwings rootling around in my garden.
On a warm lazy summers evening in July 2009, just as the sun was setting we saw some commotion in the water on the north side of Hooe Lake, we suspected a Cormorant but it turned out to be two Otters frolicking by the waters edge, clearly enjoying themselves they tossed & turned in the water as they swam towards the wreck ‘Arthur’. Later in the darkness they swam back again to the North shore and presumably on and out of the lake.