November 2025: Five of us set off this month from the station car park for Budleigh. The journey took a little longer than expected because of holdups getting through Cowley as temporary traffic lights were being set up.The weather was a lot cooler than forecast but the rain did keep away. The first view of the reserve wasn’t very promising, with much underwater an few birds visible. However, as we walked around, we had good views of a number of species and our bird list gradually grew. At the “hide” at the land end of the reserve, we had excellent views of reed buntings on the seed heads and of a snipe.
More birds were visible from the side path and we approached large numbers of gulls of various species. We also followed flocks of chaffinches and long-tailed tits as we walked. A group of volunteers were creating new hedges alongside the path, so there wasn’t much bird activity close to them. A warm drink was very welcome at the kiosk on the front and a couple of our number took the opportunity to get a bite to eat. Then it was back to the cars and the journey home.
Birds seen or heard included: snipe, redshank, dunlin, black-tailed godwit, oystercatcher, mallard, wigeon, teal, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, little grebe, herring gull, black-headed gull, greater black-backed gull, reed bunting, meadow pipit, wood pigeon, crow, magpie, long-tailed tit, blue tit, blackbird, robin, chaffinch, and goldfinch.
September 2025: Six of us met a week early in September for the Birdwatching trip to Budleigh. We parked in the newer car park partway down the reserve which is both cheaper and the money goes to the reserve, rather than East Devon Council. Although the forecast suggested rain, we had almost uninterrupted sunshine. Although there weren’t huge numbers of birds, we had good views of egrets, waders and gulls. On the recce, the previous Friday, there were Martins and Swallows drinking from the River Otter, but none there this day, although we know that there are still birds travelling south through Devon from northern England. There was time to have a coffee or ice cream on the front before returning to the cars.
Sadly, we left before the 6 glossy ibis arrived that were reported on the reserve that evening. However, the signs implied that more waterfowl are expected to over winter, so a visit later in the year might be productive. Birds seen or heard included: black-headed gull, herring gull, greater black-backed gull, little egret, heron, oystercatcher, stonechat, greenfinch, Robin, kingfisher, blackbird, great tit, Canada goose, mute swan, rook, crow, magpie, dunnock, buzzard, black-tailed godwit, long-tailed tit, sparrow, cormorant and mallard. One reason for the shortage of bird numbers was because it was low tide. We discussed changing the date so that we hit high tides over the winter when birds will be at their roosts. In the end, we went for the 4th Thursday mornings. The tides look good for the rest of the year - as far as my tide table goes. Mornings also means that we can be back for lunch or take a whole day later in the Spring to go to somewhere like Seaton wetlands.
August 2025: Following on from two recent visits to the Bowling Green and the Estuary I had another productive trip to the Topsham last Monday. I arrived at the Bowling Green circa 1.30pm when it was low tide. There was a flock of over 100 Canada Geese making a lot of noise and circa 50 Spotted Redshank, presumably en route to Africa. Two Spoonbills were right in front of the hide and apparently a Stork had been around earlier in the day. Waders were well represented with Redshank, Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Curlew and the odd Oystercatcher along with Dunlins and Knots. There were also a few Lapwings and one nervous Snipe! Ducks were limited to a few Shelduck and female Mallard and Shovellers. Gulls were limited to Black Headed and Common Gulls (which, of course, are not that common). The pair of Marsh Harriers who have been doing acrobatics on my two previous visits were not evident.
On the estuary there were numerous Avocet, Redshank and Greenshank plus numerous Black Headed Gulls. A good day's birding!
July 2025: Five of us set off from the Station Car Park for Stover, meeting a sixth member when we got there. The car park at Stover is still being worked on but there were plenty of spaces. The Centre is finished and the new toilet block was open. The Community Workshop was also finished but the path to the hide doesn’t continue around the lake yet. There were fewer birds than before the work was done and no black-headed gulls or cormorants at all. Perhaps they are not around in the summer and the numbers might increase again in the winter. No sign of the kingfisher - now that the lake has had lots of silt removed, it may be too deep for it to fish there.
We did manage to see or hear a fair number of birds as we walked around the lake, including: herring gull, heron, mallard, tufted duck, harlequin duck, coot, moorhen, great-crested grebe, mute swan, Canada goose, Egyptian goose, goldcrest, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, chaffinch, robin, blackbird, dunnock, house sparrow, nuthatch, crow, wood pigeon. We saw ducklings, goslings, cygnets and whatever a baby grebe is called, but there seemed to be only one young grebe surviving. On the boardwalk, near the dirt feeder, we had very good views of moulting small birds, including scruffy tits and nuthatches. Only a couple of squirrels running on the woodland floor when we have seen many more previously. The five of us stopped for a coffee or ice cream before setting off home. Luckily, it started to rain just as we drove off. We spent the journey home listening to the cricket commentary as an exciting test match came towards the end.
June 2025 8 of us met up at the Station Car Park last Monday, for our annual trip to not see Dartford Warblers at Aylesbeare Common. I have to report that it was a complete failure. Whilst I waited for the second car to arrive, the first group crossed the road and went just a few yards as far as the cattle grid. They saw two, if not three, Dartford Warblers in those few yards. Of course the second group missed them. However, we saw and heard lots of linnets, plus stonechats etc. Later on, another Warbler perched in its characteristic fashion on top of a gorse bush and we all saw it. So, sorry to all who couldn’t make it this time, but we did see the elusive Warbler - they really do exist there. No doubt next year we will be back to drawing a blank.
May 2025 We were a small group Birdwatching this month at Shobroke, with just two of us to begin with. We met up with a third as we were making our way back. Our bird list covers all three of us. The number of birds was disappointing. No more than half a dozen swallows flying around the bridge, compared to the numbers we saw last year, though more were seen later on the higher field with the sheep. There was a lot of singing in the trees by the lake, but the long alley of trees going up the hill was empty of any sign of bird life. You would expect all those old trees to support more.
However, the two of us saw the red kite being mobbed by two rooks. Sadly, as she was coming up to join us, the third member's view was blocked by a tree and she missed it. No goshawk though. There are some bird feeders by the car pull-in and there was a great spotted woodpecker as we returned.
The list of birds seen or heard included: crow, rook, jackdaw, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, chiffchaff, house sparrow, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, long-tailed tit, wren, robin, blackbird, pied wagtail, mallard (and ducklings), mandarin duck, Canada goose (and goslings), cormorant, great crested grebe, moorhen, heron, swallow, great spotted woodpecker and red kite.
April 6 of us met on Monday in the Station Car Park, meeting up with four others in Newton St Cyres to walk around the Arboretum. After all the sunny weather of the previous week, it was disappointing to be out in a cool, breezy, grey afternoon, with the threat of rain. The weather also deterred the birds and there was little movement and none of the nest building we had hoped for. Using Merlin, we were, once again, able to hear more than we saw. On a warmer, less windy day, I think that would have been a lot more activity with pairing off and nest building. It would have been a little early for any chick feeding.
The birds seen and heard included: house sparrow, dunnock, wren, robin, blackbird, chiffchaff, blackcap, goldcrest, chaffinch, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, long-tailed tit, crow, magpie, rook, wood pigeon, herring gull.
It was a short trip but perhaps that was just as well as it rained heavily just as we got back to the Station Car Park.
Yesterday was the u3a Moor Ramblers walk. On the drive to Tedburn, our car spotted two swallows sitting on a wire. Others had seen swallows a couple of days earlier. On the drive back, I spotted the unmissable shape of a Martin, so they are back as well. Look out for these summer arrivals.
8 of us met up this month at Meeth Quarry for an afternoon of bird watching and listening. The five in one car had just seen a Red Kite being mobbed by a crow just over a mile away and decided to add that to our bird count for the day. As expected, we heard more than we saw as we set off down the track with trees on either side. Knowing that, it became a slow, peaceful walk, watching for fluttering in the trees and keeping an eye on our phones for the Merlin app to identify what we were listening to. We were rewarded with our hearing and then sighting of a chiffchaff - for most of us the first of the year. It certainly felt like Spring, with ever more daffodils out on the roadsides, and now evidence of the summer migrants arriving. We continued to the hide, which gives good views of the flooded quarry workings. There was a small number of water birds there, including a cormorant trying to swallow a very large fish. It took a couple of goes to get it down and it swam around at high speed, still looking fairly uncomfortable. Our list of birds seen and heard included: great tit, long-tailed tit, blue tit, coal tit, marsh tit, robin, wren, chiffchaff, chaffinch, siskin, goldcrest, blackbird, song thrush, collared dove, wood pigeon, crow, rook, magpie, green woodpecker, mute swan, Canada goose, cormorant, coot, great crested grebe, wigeon, tufted duck, mallard, buzzard and red kite. One person picked up a blackcap, but no other phone confirmed it.
The Group at Meeth
Feb 2025 Seven of us met at the Bowling Green Hide, having arrived by train and car. It was bitterly cold so we were grateful for the shelter of the hide and were generally out of the wind unless someone opened the door. There weren’t a huge number of waders visible but there was plenty of waterfowl, including a snipe lurking in the reeds and a little egret walking right in front of us. We did get very good views of a couple of foxes successfully hunting along the hedge. On to the Estuary viewpoint to see the waders. A goosander was swimming in the river just in front of us, as well as the usual suspects. We had very good views of finches on the way there, including a beautiful pair of bullfinches. back to the hide to warm up as more birds started to fly in and then back home via our different modes of transport. Birds seen included: wigeon, teal, mallard, shoveler, gadwall, pintail, shelduck, greylag goose, Canada goose, lapwing, little egret, moorhen, avocet, redshank, curlew, black-tailed godwit, goo sander, cormorant, black-headed gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, crow, magpie, wood pigeon, blackbird, robin, wren, goldfinch, blue tit, grey tit, greenfinch, bullfinch.