MORE than 300 people enjoyed a wildlife festival last week at Meldon Old Quarry which was packed full of activities celebrating Dartmoor’s flora and fauna.

The festival, open to the public for free, was a joint venture involving Dartmoor National Park Authority, Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council, West Country Rivers Trust, Natural England, Butterfly Conservation and others.

Visitors, guided by some expert help, could learn about moth trapping, how to build a house martin nest cup, ecology workshops, learning about dormice and even perhaps catching a glimpse of a rare South African visitor to Dartmoor — the pied fly catcher bird.

There were experts on hand to tell visitors all about snails, mosses and lichen, and even how to dissect owl pellets. There was even a spot of storytelling of tales about the moor.

Orlando Rutter, the senior learning and outreach officer at the DNPA, said: ‘A lot of such events have been brought to north and west of the moors thanks to lottery money, so this was an opportunity for those from south and east of Dartmoor to benefit. It was a great day, aimed at families mostly.’

Pictures by James Bird