River Exe Cruise 2.1.3

[peter hayes]

River Exe Cruise, Devon. 2 January 2003

Birdwatching cruise led by Rod Lawrence. 12.15-15.15 from Exmouth up the River towards Exeter, past Topsham and back. Weather: dry but cold in the strong winds. A party of mostly birders, so there were many pairs of binoculars!

Oystercatcher 1,000
Black Tailed Godwits 800
Bar Tailed Godwits 600
Avocet 400
Curlew 250
Lapwing 200
Grey Plover 150
Redshank 100
Shelduck 50
Sanderling 50
Cormorant 40
Shags 30
Goldeneye 20
Red-breasted Merganser 10
Great Crested Grebe 8
Slavonian Grebe 4
Spoonbill 3
Kingfisher 1
Little Egret 1
Grey Heron 1
Black Red Start 1


Gulls too numerous to mention: Common, Herring, Black-backed etc.

An excellent day out, though had to slum it for lunch: honey roast ham and tomato sandwich, coffee and a Kit Kat. It's shameful really what they sell on boats these days.

[Gaye Horn]

Great read on the outing Peter.. I particularly liked the fact you had shelducks,mergs and grebes.. I love them!
Shame about lunch, our ferries serve absolute crap on their floats too.

[Andrew]

Hello again Peter, I will be going on an RSPB Avocet cruise this month. Was this an Avocet cruise or a Stuart Line cruise? I am confused as to the lack of Golden Plovers on the Exe all winter as the Devon Bird Report states that there were 150 for December and 337 for January in 2000. I have not seen a single one yet despite being out quite often, others have seen them though, albeit not many. Did the boat go out to sea a little so you could have a chance to get close up to some sea ducks, especially Scoters. I don't think they do and it would be brilliant if they did would'nt it?

Gaye, I love Mergs too!

Andrew

[monkeyman]

Some list for a little cruise on the Exe! And the quantity! And you you got two (Avocet & Spoonbill)) still on my "must see at some time" list! (Not that I'm into "lists"!)

Weel done laddie!

B (:

[monkeyman]

Did you know that Black Redstarts have been breeding in Brum for years?

[peter hayes]

Hi Andrew

It was a Stuart Line cruise with Rod and Sue Lawrence leading things. Rod is excellent. He also leads wildlife holidays in Africa.

You're right about Golden Plovers - we didn't see one.

No, we didn't go out to sea. We went from Exmouth up river to beyond Topsham and back. I agree with you, it would be superb to do so. They do have different routes, apparently, so I intend to go with them again in three weeks time. Do tell us about your cruise, won't you?

[peter hayes]

Al

You and Ali must come down to Devon. I can GUARANTEE you Spoonbill and Avocet. Well almost, anyway. And maybe a Glossy Ibis! (I've seen it four times now)

Why don't you come down and join us on a cruise? They have them most weekends.

You can show me the Black Redstarts in Brum when I come up - though not the date I suggested.....things have changed. I'll contact you next week.

See ya.......

Peter

[Reader]

Peter

There is a chance that I will be going after the Glossy Ibis next weekend. If I do I will be linking it to take Ros to see some of her friends that live in Newton Abbot & Chudleigh Knighton (she left Chudleigh Knighton to come and live with me here in Brum - silly girl)

[peter hayes]

John

What a tragedy.......after three weekends in Devon I'll be in London! Anyhow, the Glossy Ibis is usually seen at dawn and dusk at Bowling Green Marsh (when it's around, that is) - see my entry in the SW region for instructions as to how to get there if you don't know. It is a magnificant bird, and I really do wish you all the best in tracking it down.

I would love to meet Ros one day and ask her why on earth she gave up the obvious attractions of Chudleigh Knighton for Birmingham!

See you soon.

Peter

[Andrew]

That's right, the Glossy Ibis turns up at Dawn and roosts till morning about 9 to 10 am before setting off somewhere along massive exe estuary to feed. Best thing is to arrive at 3.45pm during weekdays and you'll guarantee a seat in the great hide. Set up you scope to look across the pond to grassy area or iin front of reeds on the sides and watch hard cos in poor light it is easy to miss it. Once, I laughed 'cos a twitcher had been there an hour and when it appeared he fell over backwards rushing to his scope in a hot flush then left after five seconds to be found talking on his mobile to Birdguides or summat. I am guilty cos I have the same mentality of logging on my sightings but only after I have studied the birds and got home and had my tucker.

Yes Peter, I will upload my river cruise details after. I am penning it in my diary so I don't forget myself, (brain = sieve!). If this was the Scillies we could commission an ageing fisherman to go out in his boat to see the scoters!;)

[kingfisher]

Hi all, read with great interest about the Exemouth boat trips, as yet i have been on one of the cruises, i am usually found at Bowling Green Marsh most Saturdays and at hight tide the birds are fantastic, though last Saturday is was frozen solid and there was not even a single Spoonbill to be seen, but i did have fantastic views of a Water Rail, feeding with a group of Moorhens, and suddenly dashing for the reeds at the slightest sound, also a few Dunlin slipping and slidding on the ice. Not sure if the Glossy Ibis was present that day but i saw it again the previous week, a real gem.

At high tide, there are some numbers of Golden Plovers on the Marsh with the occasional Grey.

Must look into one of these boat trips !!!!!

B (:

[Andrew]

Thanks for info on Golden Plovers, hope to see you sometime in BGM probably won't know you but if you see a deaf birder then that's me!

[peter hayes]

Chaps

I am about to post something in Trips about a Devon meet: take a look ina few minutes time.

[Stuart]

I had about 50 golden plover's today on the Exe, viewed from Exminster marsh's, looking toward's Topsham on the mudflats at low tide.....

[peter hayes]

Excellent! Wish I could have been there.........

[Andrew]

Oh dear, I shoulda walked a wee bit further on when at Countess Wear cos I still want Golden Plovers. It was getting late anyway and I don't think I'd like to have to walk back in the dark! I hope to see some tomorrow on the Avocet cruise.

[peter hayes]

Andrew

I have since discovered that the RSPB hire a different boat for their Exe cruises, and refuse to let Rod Lawrence do the commentary because he is not a RSPB employee. The collection at the end of the trip is for the crew, by the way, not the RSPB.

The crusies Rod does are in a modern, warm boat which runs far more frequently than the Avocet cruises. The RSPB would earn a great deal money if they went in with Rod, but that's bureaucracy for you.

The phrase that comes to mind is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

[Andrew]

I see, I did not know there was a collection at all. The service was so poor I would'nt have given owt anyway. I really ought to try one of Rod's cruises. Have you tried the Seaton Tramway trips, they run till May and Rod does some of them although I did not have him. We had Don Cotton, I did not need him as the birds were easy to spot.

[peter hayes]

Never heard of Don Cotton. What's he like?

[Andrew]

Well if I was speaking to another deaf person I wouldn't recommend him at all but when i spoke to him directly he answered my questions even if it was through my mother not direct to my face. He and the guide seemed to be taking too much time on a Peregrine Falcon which i thought was a bit over the top. I could not hear his commentary so can't assess his bird prowess. To be fair I think you should ask an hearing birder for better advice if you can get hold of someone who has been on his trip. He seemed a nice chap though.

[peter hayes]

Thanks - I'll try him out one day and let you know what he's like from my point of view.