Guided Bird Watching Cruise 26th February 2025

The Meteorological office had promised a blustery day of sunshine and showers, and that is what we enjoyed as we cruised up the estuary on the incoming tide, with a brisk cross-wind to keep Skipper Richard busy. A surprise starter bird was a single Red-throated Diver, close to the boat in the channel behind Dawlish Warren, and soon afterwards we found a Great Northern Diver at Starcross. Apart from Shags and Cormorants, the lower estuary was mostly quiet of birds, with a few Red-breasted Mergansers collaboratively feeding in the shallows, and Great Crested Grebes in the colourful head plumes of their summer plumage.

Two Sanderling on the north end of Bull Hill was a nice surprise, together with several dozen Oystercatchers, Redshank, Greenshank and a neat flock of Turnstone near Powderham Yacht Club.

As the tide flooded in, we crossed the Estuary to Lympstone, and were pleased to see about thirty Pintail in front of the Commando Base, together with one, possibly two Grey Seals feeding in the channels.

A heavy shower of rain did not prevent us from looking carefully up the Turf Lock creek for the Long-billed Dowitcher that has taken up residence there, but it remained out of sight; as compensation, we were rewarded with fine close views of about a hundred Dunlin, a dozen Avocet, and several Grey Plover. Reaching Topsham we at last found Godwits, both Black-tailed and Bar-tailed in a flock beside the mud, together with a single Ruff and more Oystercatchers and Curlew. Some of these birds were showing clear signs of developing their orange summer plumage.

After turning around at Topsham, the return trip was notable for an adult summer plumage Mediterranean Gull that flew past the boat; the higher tide enabled us to see over the sea wall and finally connect with the Brent Goose flock that was in the wet fields adjacent to the railway line. We enjoyed good views of the small heronry at Powderham Park, and could see about a dozen birds clinging to the upper branches of two ancient oak trees. These were the first herons of the day: bizarrely, there were no Little Egrets on show; perhaps they are finding better feeding in the flooded fields of Exminster Marshes.

In the end the weather was better than forecast and a good variety of birds was seen in the estuary; the number and variety of bird species are falling but there were many signs of spring on display.