7th & 8th February 2012

Tuesday 7^th February

  

 Today it was a case of perfect timing.  High pressure with low tide made for slow progress to Topsham.  As we turned for the return journey a large flock of Brent Geese appeared flying in from Darts Farm direction and landed alongside the river in front of us.  It was a wonderful sight that got better as we approached.  The Red-breasted Goose was the first bird giving excellent views and we had the wonderful guttural chatter of the Brent Geese.

  All expected waders were seen but well spread out due to large areas of mud exposed by the tide.

  A female Goldeneye flew past and the Common Seal entertained as it tackled a large flat fish.

Wednesday 8^th February

Similar conditions to yesterday.  As usual we started by checking the exposed beds outside the river mouth where on the sand bar there was a pair of Peregrine Falcons.  The larger female sat looking in our direction whilst the male was enjoying a meal.  First time I have seen them in this area.  If seen they are usually on the sandbanks inside the river mouth.

 Once again waders were spread out but there were still good views of most species, especially Knot and Grey Plover.  There was only a distant view of a Slavonian Grebe but Great Crested Grebes were regularly seen.

 Once again Bar-tailed Godwits outnumbered Black-tailed.  As we returned to the Harbour a pair of Razorbills very obligingly stayed on the surface close to the boat.

P.S. Pleased to say despite the late finish I was on time for treading the boards!

Weekend of the 20th, 21st & 22nd January

Friday 20^th January

Goldeneye

All the usual birds today but two sightings of male Goldeneye were a first for my trips this winter, the mild weather delaying their appearance.   
Shag numbers were down and only three Great Crested Grebes were seen but 13 Sanderling is a good number.

Razorbills

In the Harbour area were two Razorbills and a Guillemot.  The appearance of the sun was once again well timed illuminating large numbers of waders at Topsham.

Saturday 21^st January

The large flock of Black tailed Godwits were missing today.  Could it be that they don’t like strong winds?  On two previous occasions with the same weather conditions we experienced the same situation.   At least there were a few to compare with the Bar-tailed Godwits.   
Flocks of 40 Grey Plovers and 60 to 70 Knot gave us some good views and the sun was on time again.

Redbreated Merganser

Common Gull numbers approximately 250 today.

Brief glimpse of Green Sandpiper flying up from mouth of River Kenn into the grounds of Powderham.

Sunday 22^nd January

My theory of high winds affecting Black-tailed Godwit numbers was obviously wrong because we had both today.  The large flock of Bar-tailed Godwits was not in the usual place but these birds were seen in smaller groups in various points along the river.

Redshank

Shag

Grey Plover flock was up to approximately 90 showing ‘black armpits’ as they flew close to the boat.

Large numbers of Brent Geese provided aerial displays and the Common Seal put in an appearance.

These last three trips have found the Sanderling on the edge of sandbanks mid-river and three Lesser Black-backed Gulls showing as well as the two Razorbills and a Guillemot.

Sanderling

Ian Waite

7th & 8th January

 

Top of the bill (excuse the pun) on both days were waders in the sunshine.  Wonderful displays with headlines going to the Avocets, but good supporting cast of ‘Flings’ of Dunlin with flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits.

 

On Sunday the Black-tailed Godwits returned to the river to join in the display.  They have been spending most of their time recently on Exminster Marshes.  We only saw one on Saturday. Other waders seen were Turnstones, Grey Plovers, Redshanks, a few Knot and of course Oystercatchers and Curlews. Only one Greenshank seen on Saturday but six on Sunday at usual Powderham location.  Sanderling revealed themselves on returning journeys feeding on the edge of the sand bars.

As expected at this time of year Common Gull numbers are up.  Approximately 100 showing mainly towards Topsham.  We should see larger numbers as winter progresses.   One Lesser Black Backed Gull was spotted both days (this species prefers reservoirs to rivers)

 

Slavonian Grebe and Little Grebe were very distant, not easily seen but a couple of Great Crested Grebes were closer.  Red-breasted Merganser seem to get closer to the boat as their numbers increase.

On Sunday large numbers of Pintail were seen (not a usual sight as they prefer the margins of the river) and Heron numbers were up, particularly in the area of the Heronry. We should see activity round the nests on next trips.  Sunday also saw the appearance of the resident Common Seal very close to the boat.

 

I must mention that one of the Black-tailed Godwits was a bird I knew from its colour rings.  It was ringed on the River Axe, Seaton,  March 2011, seen en route to Iceland April 2011, then spotted on the Exe October 2011 where it appears to have stayed.

Ian Waite

All photographs by Sue Smith

Thursday 8th December

My first trip this winter was  a little windy, to put it mildly and it affected the water levels with less feeding areas exposed, but nevertheless there were birding treats in store,

I was expecting good numbers of Shags and I wasn’t disappointed. Most were amongst the buoys adjacent to the Harbour with some a short distance up river towards the “Floating Café.”

Groups in double figures showed well with some crests displayed. There were approximately 100, heavily outnumbering Cormorants.  Passengers had a great opportunity to differentiate between the two.

Not many waders today due to the conditions but Avocets came up trumps, good close views.  There were probably 300 plus in total demonstrating both of their feeding methods.

Grey Plover in flight showing characteristic balck armpits

There were a handful of Bar- tailed Godwits with Dunlin, Lapwings, Curlew and Grey Plovers but no Black- tailed Godwits – a species you can almost guarantee to be seen. Every trip is different.

Low numbers of Brent Geese on the river today although flocks were seen flying in the distance behind Star Cross. Regular sightings of Red-breasted Merganser. Six Shelduck were seen amongst the Wigeon and Mallard and there were a few Teal at Topsham as usual.

On return trip we managed to find one Greenshank and one Sanderling as flocks of Oystercatchers passed us on their way to roost at Dawlish Warren.

Ian Waite

All photos by Sue Smith

Saturday 26th November 2011

The fine breezy afternoon ensured that plenty of kite surfers were keeping the end of Pole Sands free of waders, but there were lots of gulls and Crows as usual – in fact a quick count of before we left Exmouth came to no less than 250 Carrion Crows. A few Brent Geese were feeding close to the beach walkers and dogs – they’re amazingly fearless (the geese that is!). Moving back into the estuary, a pair of Peregrines sitting on the sandbank known as Great Bull Hill eventually took flight and we were given the thrill of watching them zooming through and stooping down through the Crows!

Highlights in the central section were lots of Great Crested Grebes – it was hard to keep track of them as several took flight, but probably 15 in all – and 2 Goldeneye, plus a good number of Shags and Red-breasted Mergansers and large flocks of Brent Geese and Wigeon. It was nice to see 2 Sanderlings feeding in typical fashion on the edge of a sandbank in mid-estuary, 2 Greenshanks, a dozen Turnstones and about 25 Knot: there aren’t many of any of these around the Exe in winter.  It was also a relief to find 20 or so Bar-tailed Godwits, a species which has been hard to find in the last month.

The tide was slow coming in today and unfortunately we ran aground for a while off Lympstone (the sediments in the estuary move around all the time!), but we were treated with two feeding groups of Avocets that moved right up to us. Between Turf and Topsham we had close views of Avocets (getting on for 400 in total) and hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits, Curlews, Redshanks and Dunlin with smaller numbers of Lapwings and Grey Plovers. There were also thousands of gulls arriving to bath and preen before heading out to sea to Dawlish Bay for the night. Finally, the resident Harbour (Common) Seal put in a brief appearance as we heading back to Exmouth, where it was getting dark as we made our tardy return.

Dave Smallshire

Saturday 12th November

Great Crested Grebe

Goldeneye

The highlights during a very mild and sunny afternoon cruise included:
1 female Eider (off Exmouth),
2 Great Crested Grebes,
c50 Shags,
50+ Pintail,
1000+ each of Wigeon and Brent Goose,
1 Goldeneye,
c30 Red-breasted Mergansers,
2 Peregrines (sitting on Bull Hill),
250+ Lapwings,

Sanderling

200+ Avocets,
6 Sanderlings,
hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks and Dunlin,
1 Greenshank,
100+ Common Gulls



and 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls among the thousands of Herring and Black-headed Gulls gathering in late afternoon.

Dave Smallshire

Pintail

The First Cruise - 10th November 2011

Thankfully, the weather for the season’s first birdwatching cruise was much better than the Met Office had been forecasting a few days earlier! We had a nice mild, mainly sunny afternoon with a light wind: good viewing conditions.

Shag

November is the peak month for Shags to congregate in the Estuary to feed and today we saw dozens, including some sprouting crests ready for next year’s breeding season. Red-breasted Merganser numbers are still building up, but we still managed to see more than 30. The resident (flightless) Slavonian Grebe was near a couple of distant Little Grebes, but it was perhaps the 8 Great Crested Grebes that were the highlight for me; I don’t recall ever seeing this many inside the estuary before, although larger numbers spend the winter nearby in Dawlish Bay.

Great Crested Grebe

Merganser

Hundreds of Brent Geese and Wigeon were feeding on algae and eelgrass, though the Wigeon were too distant to locate the American Wigeon that has been with them for a few weeks.

Wigeon

Three Greenshanks were feeding along the shoreline at Powderham and a pair of Tufted Ducks – unusual in intertidal habitat – sat amongst some Wigeon. Off Lympstone Camp large flocks of Dunlin and other waders gyrated in the sky: they had presumably been spooked by a Peregrine, although we couldn’t find it in the melee. Here also we saw our first Avocets feeding in the shallows, and later many more – over 200 in total – giving some typically great views as the channel narrowed towards Topsham. Several hundred Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks also gave us good views at the head of estuary, but a flock of 20-30 Golden Plover only gave us tantalising views. Over 100 Lapwings were also here, suggesting that winter is only just around the corner ….

Lapwing

Dave Smallshire