Devon Seawatch - Help? (1 Viewer)

[allnmark]

Hi

I'm heading to the Exe estuary for the weekend - Dawlish to Topsham look great for Saturday, but Sunday - heavy rain and 38mph on shore winds?.......the river Exe birdcruise looks a little questionable!

OK - Seawatch then, but with a 10 year old son in tow I need to park sea facing or sit in a shelter.

Can anyone advise the best place to head (other than home)?


Thanks in anticipation

Mark

 

[parttimer]

If all else fails the hide at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham is great spot. I was there on monday with my wife (a non birder) she always enjoys it. A long-Billed Dowitcher as been around for a while aswell as Avocet, Blackwit, Snipe, plenty of wildfowl. Biggest bonus dry and warm.
Stu

 

[The Kerreran]

Hi Mark,

How far are you willing / able to travel? You can park all along Exmouth sea front, which also has shelters, but I've not seawatched from there in rough conditions so I can't say how worthwhile it is. [ I go to Dawlish Warren and sit in the lee of the plywood - I don't mind being sandblasted! ] If you can get to Seaton [ mouth of the Axe ], then the shelters on the seafront are highly likely to contain one or more Backwater Birders, who are a very friendly and helpful bunch [ especially if you have donuts ]. Heading the other way, there's some reasonable shelters at Dawlish, and in Torbay there's Preston and Paignton seafronts, but Hope's Nose, Broadsands, and Berry Head, while very productive, are also exposed to rain at the least.
One thought - Bowling Green can be surprisingly good in bad weather, as birds find more shelter there than on other roosts around the estuary.
Hope that's helped!

 

[allnmark]

Thank you both, we will have a run around and try your recomendations, I'll post when we get back and let you know how we get on