Guided Bird Watching Cruises

It was a cold grey morning; real February weather, but undeterred we set off in the capable handsof Captain Will. The shingle banks of Pole Sands at the mouth of the estuary were covered withOystercatchers, Curlews & gulls as usual & as we passed Dawlish Warren & navigated the lowerstretches of the estuary we saw…

There was rain in the air but our hardy visitors were up again for the challenge. Our first bird encountered off Shelly Beach was a Great Northern Diver and always a bonus Bird as it happened there were to be 3 in the Estuary a real triple bonus!  There were Oystercatchers in good numbers  on…

With floodwater in the estuary, it was decided to head straight into the Estuary instead of the seafront along Pole sands. The stormy weather of the last few days and a strengthening NW safety must come first. There was rain in the air but our hardy visitors were up for the challenge Oystercatchers in good…

With a cool Southerly breeze, we headed off on our Guided Birdwatching cruise, a full compliment on board weather was dry visibility good, though slighty overcast and plenty to see throughout the estuary to keep us all interested. Captain Rich took us along the seafront and Poll Sands where several Oystercatcher plenty of Herring gulls,…

Another great cruise today in pleasant broken sunshine with a moderate southerly breeze. A trio of Eider in the surf off Pole Sands started things very nicely and as we proceeded up the estuary we encountered most of the usual species including Curlews, Oystercatchers, Redshanks, Greenshanks, Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Plovers and good numbers of colourful…

Shifting from cold and grey to pleasantly sunny conditions, today’s cruise showed us the estuary in contrasting moods and provided a classic ‘Exe’perience with some great views of an impressive range of birds. Among the highlights were several close Red-breasted Mergansers, two Great Northern Divers, a Kingfisher & lots of Avocets. Meanwhile, a thousand-strong flock…

We set off a little after midday. It was mild and almost still and with the lightly overcast sky,conditions were well set for our birding cruise. Indeed, we had a very pleasant time of it, enjoying some great views of a wide range of the expected Exe Estuary birds. A clear highlight for many, I’m…

As over one hundred eager passengers boarded the boat mid-morning, a light drizzle threatened a damp cruise, but the sunshine quickly won through shortly after setting sail, and we enjoyed a dry and calm sojourn on the Exe Estuary. The lower parts of the estuary did not hold many birds other than scattered Curlew and…

The grey skies stayed dry for today’s cruise, which was as exciting as ever! The highlight was finding not one, but two, Great Northern Divers. We had close views of the first, off Starcross. The second was more distant, but images showed that they were both immature birds. We had distant views of a young…

Today, the River Exe transformed into a wildlife spectacle. A record-breaking (for me) seven seals were spotted along its shores, a testament to the estuary’s rich biodiversity. The most I have ever seen on the river at any 1 point! From the majestic Harbour Seal basking on a sandbank to the playful Grey Seals lounging…