Andrew
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Birding in Devon : Dawlish Warren
OS Grid Reference : SX985792 (click here for map)
Directions : Exit the M5 at Junction 30 and head west on the A379 towards Countess Wear and join the A3015 until you reach a roundabout with a garage on the right. Take the second exit straight ahead and continue across the River Exe to another roundabout. Stay on the far left and exit on a slip road to access the A379 heading south towards Dawlish Warren. Continue through Kenton and Starcross, when the road begins to turn away from the river at Cockwood turn off round the harbour on the minor road. Carry on into Dawlish Warren and on to the end of the road before the climb on the right. The car parks are on the left. There are two car parks, the best one is under the railway bridge as it is closer to the reserve. The 85 buses from Exeter will stop at Dawlish Warren.
Description : Dawlish Warren has a great variety of habitats including the sea, beaches, woods, dunes, pools, reed beds, salt marsh and open scrubland. It is a gem that has it all. I will describe the place as a walk to keep it simple. From the end of the car park you enter the reserve through a gate and immediately there is a wood. You could by pass this wood or walk through it and view a small pool and reed bed. There is access to the larger pool if you bypass the wood. The pools hold good numbers of dragonflies and damselflies. At the end of the wood, whichever way you go, you will reach Greenland Lake which used to be a lake. It is now open scrubland with trees on the border between the reserve and the golf course. There are bushes, brambles and small trees all over Greenland Lake. This area is also a prime site for orchids and butterflies. At the end of Greenland Lake you reach the dunes which run along nearly the whole length of the reserve, you need to climb this but it is not too high. The path now runs along the top of the dunes, you may walk the beach but some areas are out of bounds at high tide. The dune path soon goes to the left at the end of the golf course down to a salt marsh called the Bight. Double back to the west keeping close to the golf course and away from the salt marsh takes you to a hide. This is a double storey hide allowing views over the Exe estuary and the high tide wader roost. After a good rest and refreshment here with some bird watching you now head back to where you turned off at the dunes and do what you wish. There are really various ways to approach the reserve according to the time of the year and the tides. A low tide visit and you can walk the beach to the point to view the exposed sandbanks. In winter a good tactic is to sit in the dunes and scan the sea for divers, sea ducks and grebes. The same applies in summer for migrant seabirds. There is a visitor centre close to the larger pool at the reserve entrance.
Species : Basically anything goes. The possibilities are endless and birds of various species occur here. Present all year round are several Oystercatchers, Curlews, Dunlins, Ringed Plovers, Grey Herons, Little Egrets, various gulls, Kestrels and the occasional raptor, the usual woodland birds in the wood, a few passerines such as Stonechats, Goldfinches, Linnets, pipits and Greenfinches plus many more. Winter sees a huge arrival of wintering waders including Godwits, Grey & Golden Plovers, along with Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal, Offshore in winter are divers, grebes and sea ducks. Summer sees good birds around the areas including various terns, sea birds and warblers. All the usual migrants pass through here and there is scope for anything to turn up in the right conditions.
Advice : Try to allow an hour's walk through the reserve before reaching the hide about half to an hour before high tide to watch the waders come to the high tide roost in winter. In the lower tides during the rest of the year the roost does not get used much but the bird still come close to the hide. In the holiday season there is ample amusements and activities for all the family while you bird. Do not stick to the same route every time you visit, try to wander aimlessly on your way to the hide and back and you will cover more ground this way.
Disabled Access : A large part of the reserve is actually manageable on a wheelchair. You can tour as far as the end of Greenland Lake before you meet sandy dunes. Some of the earlt parts of the woods is also manageable. These two spots are actually worth going for on their own. One word of note, for some reason, they have installed gate that people weave through and wheelchair users could not get through them. You would need to contact someone to arrange to have the gate opened for you which is a raight pain. The seafront can be reached too straight from the car park along the tarmac path. The seafront is level and tarmac covered up a short distance to the east but quite well all the way to the town of Dawlish thus giving you access to the sea for divers and grebes. Langstone Rock is reached along this path thus allowing the sheltered seawatch option. Unfortunately the hide is only accessed by passing large areas of sand and that rules out wheelchairs, if you have walking difficulties be prepared for a long tiring walk to it. If you do not fancy this then do not worry you can get the same quality of birds at nearby Bowling Green Marsh.
Other places nearby : Powderham, Exminster Marshes and Bowling Green Marsh.
County Recorder : Mike Tyler, The Acorn, Shute Road, Kilmington, Axminster, Devon, EX13 7ST. [email protected]
Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society Memberships : POB 71, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1WF. Email : [email protected]
OS Grid Reference : SX985792 (click here for map)
Directions : Exit the M5 at Junction 30 and head west on the A379 towards Countess Wear and join the A3015 until you reach a roundabout with a garage on the right. Take the second exit straight ahead and continue across the River Exe to another roundabout. Stay on the far left and exit on a slip road to access the A379 heading south towards Dawlish Warren. Continue through Kenton and Starcross, when the road begins to turn away from the river at Cockwood turn off round the harbour on the minor road. Carry on into Dawlish Warren and on to the end of the road before the climb on the right. The car parks are on the left. There are two car parks, the best one is under the railway bridge as it is closer to the reserve. The 85 buses from Exeter will stop at Dawlish Warren.
Description : Dawlish Warren has a great variety of habitats including the sea, beaches, woods, dunes, pools, reed beds, salt marsh and open scrubland. It is a gem that has it all. I will describe the place as a walk to keep it simple. From the end of the car park you enter the reserve through a gate and immediately there is a wood. You could by pass this wood or walk through it and view a small pool and reed bed. There is access to the larger pool if you bypass the wood. The pools hold good numbers of dragonflies and damselflies. At the end of the wood, whichever way you go, you will reach Greenland Lake which used to be a lake. It is now open scrubland with trees on the border between the reserve and the golf course. There are bushes, brambles and small trees all over Greenland Lake. This area is also a prime site for orchids and butterflies. At the end of Greenland Lake you reach the dunes which run along nearly the whole length of the reserve, you need to climb this but it is not too high. The path now runs along the top of the dunes, you may walk the beach but some areas are out of bounds at high tide. The dune path soon goes to the left at the end of the golf course down to a salt marsh called the Bight. Double back to the west keeping close to the golf course and away from the salt marsh takes you to a hide. This is a double storey hide allowing views over the Exe estuary and the high tide wader roost. After a good rest and refreshment here with some bird watching you now head back to where you turned off at the dunes and do what you wish. There are really various ways to approach the reserve according to the time of the year and the tides. A low tide visit and you can walk the beach to the point to view the exposed sandbanks. In winter a good tactic is to sit in the dunes and scan the sea for divers, sea ducks and grebes. The same applies in summer for migrant seabirds. There is a visitor centre close to the larger pool at the reserve entrance.
Species : Basically anything goes. The possibilities are endless and birds of various species occur here. Present all year round are several Oystercatchers, Curlews, Dunlins, Ringed Plovers, Grey Herons, Little Egrets, various gulls, Kestrels and the occasional raptor, the usual woodland birds in the wood, a few passerines such as Stonechats, Goldfinches, Linnets, pipits and Greenfinches plus many more. Winter sees a huge arrival of wintering waders including Godwits, Grey & Golden Plovers, along with Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal, Offshore in winter are divers, grebes and sea ducks. Summer sees good birds around the areas including various terns, sea birds and warblers. All the usual migrants pass through here and there is scope for anything to turn up in the right conditions.
Advice : Try to allow an hour's walk through the reserve before reaching the hide about half to an hour before high tide to watch the waders come to the high tide roost in winter. In the lower tides during the rest of the year the roost does not get used much but the bird still come close to the hide. In the holiday season there is ample amusements and activities for all the family while you bird. Do not stick to the same route every time you visit, try to wander aimlessly on your way to the hide and back and you will cover more ground this way.
Disabled Access : A large part of the reserve is actually manageable on a wheelchair. You can tour as far as the end of Greenland Lake before you meet sandy dunes. Some of the earlt parts of the woods is also manageable. These two spots are actually worth going for on their own. One word of note, for some reason, they have installed gate that people weave through and wheelchair users could not get through them. You would need to contact someone to arrange to have the gate opened for you which is a raight pain. The seafront can be reached too straight from the car park along the tarmac path. The seafront is level and tarmac covered up a short distance to the east but quite well all the way to the town of Dawlish thus giving you access to the sea for divers and grebes. Langstone Rock is reached along this path thus allowing the sheltered seawatch option. Unfortunately the hide is only accessed by passing large areas of sand and that rules out wheelchairs, if you have walking difficulties be prepared for a long tiring walk to it. If you do not fancy this then do not worry you can get the same quality of birds at nearby Bowling Green Marsh.
Other places nearby : Powderham, Exminster Marshes and Bowling Green Marsh.
County Recorder : Mike Tyler, The Acorn, Shute Road, Kilmington, Axminster, Devon, EX13 7ST. [email protected]
Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society Memberships : POB 71, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1WF. Email : [email protected]
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