Tony Jones has sent me some images he took on the last Bird Cruise. Usual excellent standard. Many thanks Tony.

A rather chilly and overcast day dawned but it was dry and calm, so ideal for a day out on a boat.  Most of the group boarded at Saltash, including a 70 strong party from the Tavistock branch of the Devon Wildlife Trust. The tide was very low and as we carefully manoevered upstream the first birds were logged – Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Curlew and Oystercatcher all in reasonably close view, but more distant were Wigeon, Teal and […]

   A rather chilly day on the river this one! Wind had been blowing from the east for a week or so but at least it wasn’t raining. As we sailed upriver towards the pickup at Saltash, the 3 Spoonbills were again feeding off Bull Point. Therefore we collected our passengers and went back to have a look…..but they’d flown off!  Not a good start. However, we headed back upstream following our usual route and picking up the normal species […]

You know how on some days everything goes right …..well the 9th Feb trip ticked all the    boxes. Firstly we had a dry day, not that frequent recently and although it wasn’t sunny we had light winds, good visibility and it wasn’t that cold either. I joined the boat at Cremyll and as we sailed upstream a Razorbill got us off to a good start – a new species for our cruise list. Then I noticed 2 Spoonbills feeding […]

Another good turn out. Over 50 people on board and we took our normal route up the River Tamar. Colin, our skipper took a leisurely course that enabled us to have some good views of the Avocets and usual species. The Black tailed Godwit were feeding opposite Saltash, much further downstream than usual. It is interesting how the whole estuary is used at different times and what exactly dictates where the birds feed. The 3 Spoonbills that had been reported […]

Another lucky window between the rain! The night before had seen floods across Cornwall and Devon so we were pleased that almost everyone got to Saltash for the 9.30am start. The 80 strong contingent from the Devon Wildlife Trust had come from as far afield as Oakhampton and Exeter. With all the rain from the previous two days the river was in full flow. Even at low tide much of the mud was covered and the debris being washed downstream […]

The OspreyWatch cruise on 2nd September is now full. Phone or email to be put on the waiting list and if we get enough people we may be able to arrange another trip. There have been no local reports of Ospreys so far but it’s still early days. There has been one at Tamar Lakes last weekend and another at Drift Reservoir and at Frogmore Creek on the Kingsbridge Estuary in Devon yesterday and Monday.  

Today’s birdwatching cruise must rank amongst one of the best. Not only were we once again blessed with good weather but there were also plenty of birds to see and two new species were added to the total list. The first of these a Guillemot was seen as we left Cremyll and after the pick up at Saltash we headed up stream. Good numbers of waders and duck were evident, especially Mallard, Wigeon and Teal and Curlew and Oystercatcher. Ten […]

Last Thursday [10th November 2011] saw the first of this winters birdwatching cruises on the Rivers Tamar and Lynher. Luckily the met office had got it wrong and instead of the forecast heavy rain it turned out to be a mild and sunny day with little wind and good visibility. As usual we headed upstream from Saltash, soon finding the first Avocets, unfortunately a bit distant near the confluence with the Tavy. Plenty of Grey Herons and Little Egrets were […]

We have now finalised the birdwatching cruises on the River Tamar this winter. We are only running three this year so demand is expected to be high so book early to ensure you have a place. There are already plenty of waders around, many visible from the new footpath accessed from Wacker Quay and very soon the Spoonbills and Avocets will be back. The best way to see all these is from a boat. The Birdwatching Cruise page (top right) […]