Butterwell is home to an abundance of wildlife including otters, foxes, deer, badger, stoat, squirrel, mole, woodpecker, buzzard, dipper, kingfisher, heron, egret, willow tit, coal tit, jay, sparrow hawk, bitten, owls and even migrating Canadian geese! Not to mention our amphibians residents including terrapins, frogs, toads, grass snakes and adders. Most of these wonderful creatures have chosen to rear their young right here at Butterwell. View the gallery to see some examples.
The River Camel
Our finest asset at Butterwell is the River Camel. The Camel River features some of the most pristine habitats in Cornwall with outstanding water quality and a wealth of wildlife. Its surrounding banks, woodlands and marshes have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) because it contains plant, animal or insect life that is threatened or rare throughout Europe.
The wild tor topped heights of Bodmin Moor, with its extensive areas of peat bog and clear feeder streams, is the source of two of the county’s principal rivers the Fowey and the Camel. The River Camel goes on through Bodmin and Wadebridge to the Atlantic Ocean at the North coast sites of Padstow and Rock.
Many rare species of plant and animal life are found in and around the River including otters, kingfishers and scarce greater and lesser horseshoe bats as well as many fish species including the very rare lampreys – a large eel like creature.
The River Camel is an important stronghold for the otter one of Britain’s rarest and shyest mammals. Otters are regularly seen and travel the whole length of the river in their search for food, and they often choose Butterwell to make their home.