On this day in Wembury, 29 August 1934
A short natural history note in the Western Morning News drew attention to new research into the feeding habits of the shag, a familiar seabird along the Wembury and Yealm coastline. The investigation, carried out by Mr E A Steven of the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, examined the diet of shags and cormorants and compared their behaviour.
The report explained that although the shag is fond of marketable fish, it survives largely on small species such as gobies and sand eels. The writer argued that, given this evidence, the shag deserved a place on the protected list. It offers a glimpse of the early ecological work taking place on our local shores, long before the modern conservation movement.
Source, Western Morning News, 29 August 1934.