Guided Bird Watching Cruises

In lovely sunny conditions, we had a splendid cruise up the estuary. Heavy rain the day before had flooded extensively the grazing marshes at Exminster and up the Clyst Valley. One of the most important birds on the Exe, Black-tailed Godwit, was conspicuous by its absence today – I suspect the high water table in…

I think it’s fair to say that weather conditions were not ideal for today’s cruise. The outward journey was wet but calm, the return journey became a little livelier and all credit to Rich, our skipper, for a smooth docking at Exmouth in choppy conditions. But what of the birds? They were slow to show.…

Today’s cruise resulted in good views of many waders and wildfowl in the upper reaches of the estuary, where the influx of flood water had pushed many species away from their normal feeding locations. Leaving a wind-blown Exmouth, there was some shelter behind the sand-spit of Dawlish Warren, and we could see many Brent Geese…

Well, what a cruise we had today weather was dry sunny light winds and visibility was good all set fair for the duration of our cruise. The Pride of Exmouth with Captain Jake at the helm we set sail along the seafront then up the estuary with great company on board. Plenty of Herring Gulls,…

What a perfect day for my first cruise as a commentator (note by Stuart Line here, we think Steve did a fantastic job). The weather was dry, sunny and with a chill brought on by a brisk northerly breeze. Visibility was very good, ideal for the photographers on board. Jake skippered the Pride of Exmouth…

The Avocets were the highlights of today’s Guided Birdwatching Cruise. As the boat approached the huge mudbank opposite the Turf Hotel, the first group of ten Avocets were found, feeding in the shallow water, sifting for food with their distinctive ‘sideways-flick’ bill action. Their snowy white and contrasting dense black plumage glowed in the bright…

The weather was dry sunny with a cold northerly wind blowing down the estuary. Visibility was good and set fair for the duration of our cruise but possibility of rain around 15:00. The Pride of Exmouth with Captain Rick at the helm, Steve Manning as my spotter, we set sail along the seafront, then up…

It was a beautiful morning as we left Exmouth, with the sun taking the chill out of the northerly breeze. A small group of Skylarks flew past us at the Marina – evidence of migration that later in the cruise was evidenced by several flocks of Wood Pigeons flying over the estuary. Brent Geese were…

It was a full boat that set off up the Exe estuary under cloudy skies, but there was mercifully no rain. Our first birds on Pole Sands were Oystercatchers and Curlew, feeding on cockles in the gravel and sandy islands at the mouth of the estuary. Passing behind Dawlish Warren, there were large numbers of…