What to see in January!

Often the coldest month but usually with some wonderfully crisp sunny days too. During January the numbers of birds on the estuary will be at their most impressive with maximum numbers providing the ultimate spectacle. Pick yourself a good day and get the tide right and you could find yourself watching and hearing some of the best bird spectacles in the world.

Good places to visit at this time include Dawlish Warren and you can call in at the visitor centre where there is plenty to interest the kids. Then walk out to the bird hide through the dunes, plan to arrive about one hour before high tide. You can then watch mainly oystercatchers but lots of other species too flying in to rest while the high tide covers their feeding grounds. Try a walk from Lympstone following the footpath along the river all the way to Exmouth. The Exminster Marshes at Exminster and Powderham are really good at this time. Although the Exminster Marshes do tend to flood making some of it inaccessible, you can always walk the canal embankment to Turf and back. If you start at Powderham Church you can walk upstream to Turf (best at half tide) along the embankment. The views of the river and surrounding countryside are stunning and you should see lots of birds. If you have never tried any of these walks why not spoil yourself in the new-year. Should you wish to find out more about where to go and what to see on the estuary you can always e-mail me at rod@farawaywildlife.co.uk or just ask me, if you come to our presentations at the Telfer Centre each month in Exmouth (see the events page at this site).

Perhaps the most special bird that we have is the Black-tailed Godwit and this winter we are hoping for a record number with well over 1000 birds. Avocets have been very visible on the upper estuary and more than ever people have visited the area to watch them, in spite of the rain! Brent Geese have been showing in good flocks too, sometimes blackening the sky with their numbers (well you have to use your imagination a bit). People on the bird-watching cruises have been seeing these wonderful flocks of geese mixed with large numbers of Wigeon, Golden Plover and Lapwings. If you have never experienced the sight and the sound of these thousands of birds flying overhead, you must. Even those with the hardest of hearts cannot fail to be moved and become covered in goose bumps (pardon the pun).

The estuary bird-watching cruises are at their best in January and February and they are with out a doubt the best way to see the river and the birds. Stuart Line Cruises offer three hour cruises throughout the winter at a cost of £9.00 for adults and £5.00 for children. The RSPB also offer bird-watching cruises through January and February. Watch out at Powderham for the first of the nesting Grey Herons which return to their nests at the first sign of spring. They usually arrive in early February but everything is getting earlier in response to climate change. They need to lay their eggs early in order to take advantage of the abundance of spawning frogs towards the end of the month and on into March.

The Exmouth Visitor Centre Trust is planning to run two bird-watching cruises in association with Stuart Lines, one in January and one in February. Further details will be published on the events page of this site later in the year.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN JANUARY

· All the winter waders and wildfowl will be on the estuary at this time.

· Visit the hides at Topsham and Dawlish Warren and be there at high tide.

· Go on a bird-watching cruise with RSPB or Stuart Line Cruises.

· Walks on both estuary banks are good at this time.

Rod Lawrence