Guided Bird Watching Cruises

Guided Birdwatching review – Wednesday and Thursday 17-18th January Both cruises were sandwiched between periods of heavy rain, but as is usually the case, the weather on the estuary wasn’t at all bad. Great Northern Divers featured on both cruises, with one off Exmouth seafront and two others inside the estuary affording better views. Likewise, the…

Birdwatching Trip.  Sat. December 30th Water levels were up following rain and wind but conditions for the trip were excellent. An even light with just some sunshine to illuminate the flocks of waders at Topsham. Large groups of Dunlin in their thousands certainly impressed in flight and on the mud and Avocets of course gave…

On Saturday just gone, I was thrilled to join my Dad on a Stuart Line Cruise up the Exe Estuary, which set off from Exmouth at 1pm. Dad has led some of these winter trips for many years now, and I always like to try and get on at least one a winter. With no telescopes on…

My first trip of the season featured divers. Two Great Northern Divers and a Red Throated Diver. All three sighted in the Starcross area where we also saw a Slavonian Grebe. Wigeon numbers were very high especially round the Clyst where they were joined by Pintails. This is one of the benefits of an early…

16th November 2017 The first cruise of the winter season got off to a great start with a Kingfisher sitting on one of the boats off Dawlish Warren … unfortunately before anyone had boarded the Pride of Exmouth! The weather glorious for the first half of the cruise, a little cloudier later. Offshore there were large…

Tuesday 14th March, 2017 The final birdwatching cruise of the winter found a hint of spring in the air, with a Skylark singing its heart out over the dunes at Dawlish Warren. After a few days of summer visitors arriving, clearly some of the winter visitors had also begun departing, including many of the Avocets…

Saturday March 11th My final trip of the winter was notable for the number of Turnstone, at least 200. At Starcross the Pontoon was covered in this species with others in flight and on our return a buoy hosted twenty plus with one Dunlin. Probably a passage of these birds joining the regulars. Two Slavonians…

Friday 10th February 2017 Another chilly day with an easterly breeze. Again, many gulls were around Pole Sands, together with fair numbers of Oystercatchers and Curlews. The 2 Slavonian Grebes were off Cockwood, as usual, plus four Goldeneye (one drake) there as well. Two Greenshanks were seen off Powderham, and a few Great Crested Grebes.…

Thursday 9th February 2017 Sunshine took the edge off a keen easterly wind today, and made the Shags and Red-breasted Mergansers shine like green bottles! Large numbers of gulls were loafing around on Pole Sands and also on several of the sandbanks and mudflats. As usual, they were mainly Herring and Black-headed, but with a…