West Country Wildlife Haven

West Country Wildlife Haven Surrounded by countryside the Shippen at Coombe Mill is a one bedroomed detached holiday property ne

Are we in for a spectacular Painted Lady year? I've seen more of these incredible butteflies this spring than ever befor...
27/05/2026

Are we in for a spectacular Painted Lady year? I've seen more of these incredible butteflies this spring than ever before. The Painted Lady is a long-distance migrant that each year spreads northwards from the desert fringes of North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia.
Its one of the world's most successful butterflies and in some years this results in the most dramatic migrations seen in Britain.
The last was in 2009 when in just two days an estimated 28 million of them crossed our southern coastline.

This juvenile Kingfisher - the first I've seen this spring - was fishing on our pond this morning. For such a colourful ...
15/05/2026

This juvenile Kingfisher - the first I've seen this spring - was fishing on our pond this morning. For such a colourful bird they can be remarkably easy to miss. They remain as quiet and well hidden as possible; to avoid predators and also their parents who, after only a few days, will want them to out of their territory. Juveniles also have to begin finding their own food almost immediately which thankfully this youngster seemed to doing successfully.

The Spotted flycatchers are back. I watched at least two or three today flitting around in an area where they've nested ...
09/05/2026

The Spotted flycatchers are back. I watched at least two or three today flitting around in an area where they've nested before. I suspect some birders regard them as drab; understated they may be but beautiful nonetheless. These birds are becoming worryingly scarce having declined 93 per cent since the late 1960's.
And some fly up to 7,000km from Africa to breed in the UK.

This is always a special time of year at Coombe Mill when the Early purple orchids and Bluebells are at their best.
01/05/2026

This is always a special time of year at Coombe Mill when the Early purple orchids and Bluebells are at their best.

The Dippers are busy feeding at least two juveniles. They fledged just a few days ago from their nest in the root plate ...
26/04/2026

The Dippers are busy feeding at least two juveniles. They fledged just a few days ago from their nest in the root plate of a fallen tree downstream from our main bridge. The first few days out of the nest are fraught with danger so I'm holding my breath and hoping for the best.

Grass snakes can be easily missed as this photograph illustrates. Although sunbathing the snake remains well camouflaged...
19/04/2026

Grass snakes can be easily missed as this photograph illustrates. Although sunbathing the snake remains well camouflaged amongst grasses, bramble and bracken. It was one of four spotted beside a woodland path at Coombe Mill and was photographed by a Shippen guest. I'm so pleased this species is doing well here. In the last few years we've removed quite a few trees beside the main path and this may be benefitting the snakes. I'd like to thank the Shippen guest for allowing me to use the photo.

The nesting season is in full swing. This Blue tit is using bits of twine from the garden to make its nest.
11/04/2026

The nesting season is in full swing. This Blue tit is using bits of twine from the garden to make its nest.

07/04/2026

Oil beetles can be found on paths throughout the reserve - I've seen at least half a dozen in the last few days. These special insects, found in meadows and woodlands in western and northern Britain, are becoming increasingly scarce. Its the Violet oil beetle we have here although I can't identify this individual with any certainty without a detailed photograph.

I've been lucky enough to have spotted two Slow worms already this spring including one that appeared to be sunbathing o...
31/03/2026

I've been lucky enough to have spotted two Slow worms already this spring including one that appeared to be sunbathing on the driveway. I'm fairly sure this photo shows a male as they tend to be a uniform grey or grey brown while females generally have a brown back which can be any shade from gold to deep copper with darker flanks.

Had a lovely few hours today at West Country Wildlife Haven swapping over a camera that no longer works reliably with a ...
24/03/2026

Had a lovely few hours today at West Country Wildlife Haven swapping over a camera that no longer works reliably with a new one. Jon found this beautiful nest (woven with shredded phragmites) while scything over the weekend, so we’ve put the new camera box on stilts nearby. Fingers crossed we get some visitors soon!

Address

The Shippen, Coombe Mill
Launceston

Telephone

01566 784196

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