Wolves Wild

Low tide in the Exe estuary, with lots of mud exposed. A lone godwit was making the most of the opportunity, sifting the silt, finding plenty to eat.

A pair of black swans preen at low tide on the Exe estuary at Topsham. The main flock, introduced from Australia, are at Dawlish. Some of the birds wander for a distance up or down the coast. On the Exe, they can sometimes be seen at least as far upstream as Exeter Quay. But, in our limited sampling, they are more likely to be spotted in Topsham.

Views across the Exe at Topsham. In the first shot, the superbly-sited riverfront property masks the view of the M5 which crosses the river just upstream, giving a 24-hour background noise.

The wreck has been slowly disintegrating for over a decade now. The high ground beyond it is Haldon Forest. The small cottage was for the keeper of the Topsham lock on the Exeter Canal, the first in England to have pound locks. The canal runs alongside the river, on the opposite side to the one-time major port of Topsham.

A ;one young shelduck sifting the soft mud left in the Exe estuary at low tide, leaving its footprints as it advances.

A little egret stalking along a jetty at Exeter Quay, intently watching the river. Every few paces, its head flashed down as it grabbed yet another small fish which had come too close to the edge of the water.

Some kind of large mushrooms growing in long grass near the bus stop at Wightwick, seemingly considered a delicacy by the local slugs or snails.