Conservation on the Coombe Lodge and Langford Court Estate
Conservation is very important to the estate.
The areas of Blackdown and Burrington Ham are home to our herds of our wild Exmoor Ponies, Ruby Red Devons and our Cashmere Goats. They all help in keeping this Area of Outstanding Natural beauty in the most natural state, perfect for many of the more unusual birds that breed there.
Stonechat are one of the less common species of bird that breed on the estate. They are robin sized birds and males have striking black heads with white around the side of their neck, orange-red breasts and a mottled brown back. Females lack the male's black head, but have brown backs and an orange tinge to their chests.
They can normally be found on Blackdown in late Spring with the colourful males perching on top of bushes, frequently seen flicking their wings while perched, uttering the distinctive ‘whee tak’ calls.
Stonechats breed in western and southern parts of the UK, but disperse more widely in winter.
Meadow Brown butterflies are regularly seen around the estate, usually between Jun and August. They are a slow-flying, meandering butterfly that seldom rises more than a metre above the ground. It will fIt will fly on dull days, even in light rain, when few other species are active.
Colonies are vulnerable to intensive farming and the loss of the unimproved grassland they favour, so the Estate provides an ideal habitat with plenty of undisturbed areas of scrub and traditional pasture.
Our Cashmere Goats have been resident in Burrington Combe for 17 years, grazing the extremely steep slopes. They do a fantastic job of keeping scrub in check, while allowing a wide range of birds to nest and thrive.
The herd of Wild Exmoor Ponies are found on Blackdown. They are extremely friendly and are normally more than happy to pose for photographs. Alongside the Ponies, our Ruby Red Devon cattle graze the open access area of Blackdown. They are very docile and used to the large numbers of walkers and cyclists that come and enjoy this nationally acclaimed area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).
