Guided Bird Watching Cruise – 15th February 2026

Today’s cruise was one of contrasts: some dismal rain was followed by sharp, bright afternoon sunshine. Bird numbers were lower than expected, but there were several key species that posed well for us and gave great views.

The birdlife obliged from the get-go. We had hardly left Exmouth Dock when Skipper Jake’s safety briefing was interrupted by the call of a Kingfisher, perched on the rocks by the slipway. With the flood tide running strongly with dense, turbid water, we eschewed the normal trip out to Exmouth’s seafront and headed north to Shelly Bay for our first views of Shags and Cormorants at close range.

The muddy Shutterton Creek was mostly empty of birds, but a nice surprise at Starcross was a smart Great Northern Diver, which was not bothered by our proximity and allowed Skipper Jake to manoeuvre the boat so that customers on both sides had the opportunity to see it. Another surprise at Starcross was a small party of Red-breasted Mergansers feeding communally and in very close proximity to a Little Egret – so close that one merganser appeared to swim between the egret’s legs.

Great Crested Grebes were present in small parties, with some developing the colourful plumes of their summer plumage. Another bird seen well was a Greenshank at the River Kenn outfall; as a classic ‘grey bird against the grey mud in grey weather’, these birds can be difficult to see, but we were lucky to find one feeding in the cascade of flood water. Again, we were able to take the time to see it properly.

A brisk shower then dampened things for a short while, but we used the poor visibility to motor briskly across the estuary towards Lympstone, where Shelduck, Bar-tailed Godwits and assorted gulls were present in good numbers. Our first Avocets were just below the Turf Hotel, and we encountered a flock of about thirty in a circling, tight, communal feeding frenzy – the dense flock rotating like a small whirlpool in deep water. This was a neat piece of behaviour that can be hard to see.

The number of Black-tailed Godwits was lower than expected, probably because the birds are either feeding on the flooded marshes or have departed for their Icelandic breeding grounds, but there were several hundred each of Dunlin, Redshank and Golden Plover, with occasional Shelduck and Cormorants scattered across the vast mudflats on both sides of the Topsham channel. At Topsham, the turning circle had a single male Goldeneye, but our attempts to rotate the boat so everyone could see it were not a success as it promptly flew off upriver.

At this point the rain set in properly, and so it was a rather soggy return downriver, but the best was yet to come. By the time we were passing Starcross, the rain had blown through and bright sunshine transformed the light on the water, with Oystercatchers and Curlews sparking on the bright golden sands of Bull Hill. Skipper Jake then called a seal that was hunting in shallow water with about ten Shags and allowed very close views; whereupon a shout went up for a Peregrine, as a huge immature female bird shot past the boat.

The bird then obligingly landed on Bull Hill, shaking and shuffling its feathers so we could appreciate what a handsome bird it was. It appeared to be only slightly smaller than the adjacent Shags, suggesting it was at the top end of the size range for a Peregrine – perhaps even an escaped falconer’s hybrid, such as a Saker/Gyr Falcon cross. After about five minutes it flew off, using the wind to climb rapidly until it was nearly overhead, at which point a second bird appeared and the pair of falcons indulged in some mock attacks before disappearing over Exmouth.

The cruise was nearly done, but there was time for comparative views of Greater and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a look at the pre-roost assembly of Oystercatchers and Brent Geese on Dawlish Warren. We concluded with very close views of a single Sanderling that opted to crouch down and hide on the tide wrack rather than fly.

The weather was better than forecast and we saw a good variety of birds exhibiting interesting behavior in a beautiful place. It was good to be out on the water.

Peter Hopkin with thanks to Ian Thompson for all the photos