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Another day, another named storm! Today was Storm Jocelyn, which brought strong winds to the estuary again.
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A Great Northern Diver was soon spotted off Shelley Beach (and on the return it was in mid-channel), with ones, twos and small groups of Great Crested Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers between there and Cockwood, with a female Goldeneye close to the mudbank. A Spoonbill was feeding near the entrance to Cockwood Harbour, later flying up the estuary; possibly the same bird was feeding in the Clyst Estuary later.
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Our first Avocets were feeding at Powderham, where we could just see many Fallow Deer over the sea wall.
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Groups of Pintail were in the shallows towards Lympstone, while between there and Turf we were entertained by a Peregrine and a Carrion Crow flying around the boat, hassling each other – it was great to get such close and prolonged views of the falcon. A little later the Peregrine disturbed flocks of Brent Geese, Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and other waders, including a flock of Lapwings.
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As we progressed from Turf to Topsham there seemed to be birds everywhere!
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Tight flocks of Black- and Bar-tailed Godwits, dozens of Shelduck, Grey and Golden Plovers, Knot and hundreds of Avocets and Dunlins were feeding across the mudflats and by the river channel.
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Mergansers gave us good fly-past views and Teal fed along the river bank. We disturbed three Snipe from the edge of the saltmarsh.
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Returning to Exmouth, a group of five female Eiders were mid-channel, walking out onto a sandbank – a lovely end to an exciting cruise!
Dave Smallshire
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