Monday 25th February 2013

The Harbour Seal’s head was spotted several times near the quay as we boarded, eventually coming up with a flatfish. It’s good to see evidence that she can find food, despite apparently having cataracts in both eyes. No doubt her splendid set of whiskers are handy for detecting flatfish resting on the estuary bed. A Turnstone flew onto the quay and began looking for food scraps in the car park.



Near the wreck off Cockwood we saw another ‘resident’: the Slavonian Grebe, accompanied by Red-breasted Mergansers and some Goldeneye. Just before, we had glimpsed a Little Grebe (Dabchick) and later saw a total of more than 10 Great Crested Grebes, some in winter plumage and others complete with the splendid head plumes of breeding plumage.



A few Sanderlings and good dozens of Grey Plovers were on the central sandbank, while three Ringed Plovers that flew from the shore at Powderham were the first I’ve ever seen on a cruise (this generally common wader is very scarce in the Exe in winter).  The mud by the River Kenn outlet held couple of Avocets, two Greenshanks, a Spotted Redshank and both species of godwit. Most of the Avocets were in groups feeding or resting in the shallows off the Royal Marines Training Base at Lympstone, where many Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the distant mud.



As we approached Topsham, we had closer views of Avocets, Dunlins, Grey Plovers, Shelducks, Redshanks, godwits and Mergansers, while groups of Teal were dabbling on the edge of the mud near our turning






Dave Smallshire