Guided Bird Watching Cruise – 2nd March 2026

This was my last trip of the season and what a glorious day to end on. The sun shone and, despite gathering clouds, the rain stayed away. Spring seemed truly to have arrived.

Birds were not present in mid-winter abundance, but there were enough of most species to make the trip interesting and to whet appetites for next winter on the estuary. The highlight of the trip were four Spoonbills feeding in mid-estuary. Waders were scarce to begin with, but numbers increased towards Topsham with up to fifty Avocets, a medium-sized flock of Black-tailed Godwits, two small groups of Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, several Knot, Common Redshanks, and a dozen or so Golden Plover. Curlew were present throughout, either as solitary feeding birds or in small groups. Two Greenshanks were seen below and at the Kenn Outflow, and Oystercatchers kept us company throughout. Only one Turnstone was seen foraging along the foreshore at Dawlish Warren.

Several hundred Dark-bellied Brent Geese were still present on the estuary, one large group on Bull Hill and another on the mud below Starcross. Shelduck were frequently seen, some spurred to friskiness by the early spring sunshine. The only other duck species were three Mallard and up to a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers, the males looking splendid in the sunshine. Two Great Crested Grebes briefly kept us company, fishing alongside the boat as did a group of Cormorants which seemed to have discovered a rich food source. Shags were seen at the start of the trip – one bird being particularly confiding, remaining perched on a buoy as we cruised past.

Grey Herons were busy in their nests at Powderham heronry and Little Egrets were occasionally seen feeding on the mud. The usual gull species were present: Herring, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Black-headed, and Common. Most were roosting or basking in the sun, if not preening and cleaning at the Kenn Outflow.

We also encountered two Common Seals hauled out on the mud in mid-estuary. Although suspicious of the boat, they stayed on the mud offering us fine views of their puppy-dog-like faces. It’s been a pleasure being out on the estuary throughout the winter, even if the weather has been less than clement at times. Good luck to all our wintering birds heading home to their distant breeding grounds.

Steve Manning