Exe Estuary Reserves

On Wednesday 24^th October I went to Exeter for a call and I managed to finish this just before lunch time, in the same office but on a different floor was the RSPB’s South West Regional Office. So I went up and asked for any leaflets on the local reserves around Exeter, and using these I heading to Bowling Green Marsh.

I drove down Bowling green road and passed the hide and further down the entrance to the viewing platform, I continued down and parked up near Riversmeet House. I then got ready for my afternoon of birding, then I walked down to end of the road where there was a small slipway, looking across through the gloom to the far bank I saw Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Curlew & Black-headed Gull, and I noticed that the tide was coming in, and that groups of waders were flying in, to an area around the corner that I could not see from where I was.

So I walked around to the viewing platform, joining some other birders already there. Using my scope I found the following, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Water Rails were heard squealing and I managed to see one before it ran into the bank side vegetation, Waders seen from here where mainly Black-tailed Godwits with smaller numbers of Redshank, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Dunlin & 2 Common Sandpipers, 

Common gull, Herring gull and in the bushes and fields, Woodpigeon, Wren. Robin, Blackbird, Cetti’s Warbler, Magpie and Carrion Crow. I then made to short walk to the hide and while eating my lunch added the following, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard, Moorhen, Coot. Again here the majority of the waders were Black-tailed Godwits, and also seen from the hide, Lapwing, a single Ruff, Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit, Pied Wagtail, Starling. Then nearly everything went up and a female Sparrowhawk flew through low and fast, but no kill seen.

View from the hide.

I left the hide and looked at the bird feeders just outside, on or around these were Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

I made my way back to the car and enjoyed eating a Mars Bar, then off to Exmouth to look over the Exmouth Local Nature Reserve on the way to Exmouth I passed the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre Lympstone. I followed signs for the Seafront and came across a car park in Imperial road, so I stopped here to view the nature reserve.

http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/exmouth_local_nature_reserve

There was good numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Wigeon, 1 drake Pintail and on the shore line Pied Wagtail and Carrion Crow.

I drove further round into the recreation ground to view more of the reserve, seeing Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Black-headed gull, Herring Gull, feral Pigeon and Starling. Then on to the mouth of the Exe to look across to Dawlish Warren and on the dock side were a small number of Turnstones.