We’ve had several enquiries about trips this winter so I’m updating the current situation. Having run several Birdwatching Cruises each winter for the past nine years, Chris and I have decided to take a break and have a winter off. We have thoroughly enjoyed showing so many people the fantastic wildlife of the Tamar Valley and there have been many memorable sightings with the Avocets and Spoonbills always taking centre stage. We’d like to thank all those who have supported […]

Another good day out but not so many people on the boat this time. Still that meant everyone had plenty of room on the upper deck, the weather was fine and the birds were obliging as always.  We had a new skipper, Sid who was excellent getting us almost to Pentille on the Tamar and as far as Sconner on the Lynher, probably the furthest up this river that we’ve ever reached. Avocets had increased significantly since our trip a […]

Take a look at this website, in times when local authorities are having to examine their resources its great to see that environmental conservation is still a priority. Well done Plymouth City Council http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/wildflowermeadows

From New Scientist Gulls tucking in to discarded food or flocking around landfills has become a familiar sight. Now data from the Pacific north-west of Canada spanning 149 years has shown that substituting fish with less nutritious food is linked to population declines and lower fertility in glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) a close relative of the herring and lesser black-backed gull. Louise Blight from the University of British Columbia and her colleagues looked at 270 gulls’ feather samples from museums, taken […]

First trip of the 2014/15 season and another fine afternoon with plenty to see. Sailing on a slightly higher tide than usual we were able to get further up both the Tamar and Lynher. Only a  few Avocets were seen, c40 on the mudbank at Holes Hole but given the mild weather perhaps that s not surprising. I would expect the numbers to increase in the next few weeks and especially after Christmas. Highlight was a first winter Glaucous Gull […]

We have been informed by Plymouth Boat Trips that the Plymouth Sound is now unavailable in January and they don’t have any other boat that can sail upriver on the low tide. It is therefore regrettable that we have no option but to cancel the boat trip scheduled for January 18th 2015. We apologise for any inconvenience and will offer places on alternative dates to these who have already booked or a full refund if you can’t make any other […]

Scoters are sea ducks, known to most of us as winter visitors. Usually seen far off shore, we have occasionally seen them on our boat trips. Poor conditions can make it challenging to identify them and tell scoter species apart. The BTOs latest Bird ID video on scoters has some hints and tips to help.

State of the UK’s Birds 2014 The impressive State of the UK’s Birds 2014 was published recently. The theme of this year’s annual report is migrant birds, a group showing some of the most dramatic population changes in the last few decades. This includes species like cuckoo which breed in the UK but spend the winter in Africa, as well as the large numbers of waders and wildfowl that breed further north, but spend their winters on UK and Channel […]

The bird watching cruises for this winter have now been finalised and details are on the Birdwatching Cruises Page 

September on the Rivers Tamar and Lynher can be an exciting time. Whist there may not be the variety or  number of birds present, there’s the added bonus that something unusual may turn up. This year was no exception. Highlight was a Common Crane, found by Derek Julian on 24th at Wacker Quay. The first Spoonbill returned on the 26th and was seen again on 30th   Wildfowl numbers do not start building until early winter but a female Ruddy […]