Guided Bird Watching – Saturday 29th January

This morning’s cruise was excellent, not least for the fabulous displays from hundreds of Avocets at Topsham. A male Peregrine in flight led us to a female with prey on the mud off Dawlish Warren. One that flew over us later near Powderham might have been one of this pair. The 2 Black-necked Grebes were close to Starcross, but most of the 20 or so Great Crested Grebes and about 280 Pintail were around Lympstone Barracks. The Spotted Redshank was on its own at Topsham, where there were over 200 Bar-tailed Godwits but surprisingly only a couple of Black-tailed. A few Sanderlings and 100+ Grey Plover were around Turf-Topsham. A Kingfisher and several Greenshanks were seen at Powderham, Grey Herons were active in the heronry in the oaks behind Starcross Yacht Club and a Snow Goose was just visible with Canada Geese over the sea wall at Turf. A Grey Seal eyed us up as we watched some of maybe 20 Red-breasted Mergansers scattered up the estuary.

Dave Smallshire