Wolves Wild

The Imperial is one of four Wetherspoons pubs in Exeter, and must be one of the showpieces of the chain. It’s set in extensive grounds. The core of the building was constructed for the then Devon County Architect in 1810, and was later further embellished by subsequent wealthy owners.

The fittings in the ballroom came from a country house a few miles outside Exeter, while the Orangery was originally built for what is now Reed Hall, part of the nearby University. Various websites claim it was originally designed as a heated palm house (plausible given the height of the glass roof) and that it was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (it’s an impressive piece of Victorian engineering, and he must have spent time nearby working on the GWR, so it might just be possible).

The huge grounds mean the pub has a very extensive bear garden. It’s also adjacent to the leafy campus of the University, so the area is a haven for some wildlife.

It’s popular with corvids, which must supplement their diet with bits and pieces which the pub’s patrons let fall from their meals and snacks. Here, one of the jackdaws perches on one of the guy ropes of a marquee, yards from where we were having an early lunch.

A great black-backed gull on a fence post, looking round to survey the area. The pictures were taken from one of my favourite bird-watching spots: the beer garden of the Bridge Inn at Topsham.

At high tide, the water in the Exe estuary comes right up to the retaining wall of the Goat Walk at Topsham. At low tide a long stretch of mud, with patches of seaweed is left exposed.

In winter, that mud is popular with waders which use the estuary as their cold weather home, probing for invertebrates to eat. In summer, the mud isn’t as crowded with bird life, though there’s usually several gulls, and sometimes the odd mallard or two.

Less usual was this female blackbird, poking around among the weed.

A cluster of unripe green berries at the top of a robust-looking stalk in a roadside hedgerow. Could only be lords and ladies (wild arum).

After repeated (brief) visits to the RSPB Bowling Green Marsh reserve, finally the spoonbills were doing something a little more active that standing still with their backs pointing towards the hide.

As they gently preened, they offered a few glimpses of the “spoon” at the end of their bills.

A flock of curlews circle over Bowling Green Marsh, looking for the best place to land.