Bird-watching walk with the Birdman
Sowton Industrial Estate, Exeter
5-7pm on 13 September 2018
Many of the roads and industrial units on Sowton is named after birds, and there was lots of other evidence of bird life to be found. The Birdman (aka Tony Whitehead of the RSPB) and I hatched a plan for a walk to discover the birds, both real and imaginary, of one of Exeter’s most neglected ecosystems.
We met at the M5 Junction 30 Services. The walk took in as many of the roads named after birds as possible, and ended back at the Services. We chose a time at the end of weekday so that both workers on Sowton and local residents could join the walk. It was targeted at Sowton workers, but in retrospect a lunchtime event would probably have attracted more from this cohort. Just as birds migrate back and forth every year, and some species gather together before roosting, so do holiday-makers migrate through the motorway services, and the workers on Sowton flock onto the roads in their cars at the end of the working day.
For anyone who is thinking of organising a similar event, you can find more specific information on the Working with Gold website.
