Welcome to July’s edition of Stuart Line Cruises’ Newsletter… We just cannot believe how incredible the weather has been so far! This month’s updates include: Jurassic Coast – Including the Sidmouth Folk Festival! Purbeck Ice Cream Teignmouth Carnival Jurassic Coast Adventures “Oh, the things you will find, if only you don’t stay behind!” – Dr…

Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th February As we set off on Saturday out towards the sea there was a distant Great Northern Diver accompanied by Great Crested Grebes. Both of these species were seen much closer at Starcross.  Two Great Northern Divers were close to the boat, and in the background a Great Crested Grebe…

Saturday 2nd December 2017 The light was lovely for today’s cruise, which saw very large numbers of birds, right from the hordes of gulls and Brent Geese around Pole Sands up to the large flocks of Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits at Topsham. Wigeon, Brents and Oystercatchers all seemed to be in larger numbers than usual – thousands…

Friday March 10th Thick mist to start the trip although some birds were still seen and the calls of Curlew and Oystercatcher coming out of the gloom was atmospheric. As we progressed up river the visibility improved. Near Powderham a big surprise when two Slavonian Grebes were between us and the shore. Excellent close views…

Sunday 28th February, 2017 A fine though windy afternoon’s cruise, during which notable sightings included the 2 Slavonian Grebes as usual off Cockwood, later with 6 Goldeneye. There were also 7 Great Crested Grebes, including a group of 5 together. Two Greenshanks were off Powderham, one of them by a sandbank in mid-estuary where Sanderlings…

Birdwatching Cruise Monday 27th February Once again waders at Topsham provided a real treat being in large numbers and very close to the boat. The Avocets were closely grouped interspersed with hundreds of Black-tailed and some Bar-tailed Godwits. A Sparrowhawk flying low over the mud briefly spooked the Dunlin but it was quickly seen off…

Guided Bird Watching Review – Sunday 26th February There were plenty of kite-surfers off Pole Sands this afternoon, taking advantage of the fresh westerly wind. The rain held off as we headed up to Topsham. A large flock of Brent Geese flew up from Starcross and landed on the mud. Ten Sanderlings had returned to…

Friday 24th February and Saturday 25th February Both trips featured spectacular flocks of wading birds at Topsham flying above and around the boat then returning to the mud giving amazing views to all on the boat. On Friday a Peregrine was spotted but on Saturday there seemed to be no apparent reason for the display…

Guided Bird Watching Review – Sunday 12th February The cold easterly wind persisted for this afternoon’s cruise. There were many gulls off Dawlish Warren again as well as inside the estuary. Photographs confirmed that the blob on Exmouth church tower was indeed a Peregrine! The 2 Slavonian Grebes were off Cockwood, as usual, with 3…