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 […]

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 […]

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) […]

Spoonbills have returned and bred for a second year at Holkham National Nature Reserve (NNR), eight pairs fledging 14 young. Last year saw the first breeding of Spoonbills in the UK for more than 300 years when six pairs successfully bred. Spoonbills at Holkham (Natural England). The breeding Spoonbills are part of group of around 40 adult and immature birds summering along the north Norfolk coast. These birds move between feeding sites on north Norfolk coast nature reserves and the […]

We have arranged an additional Bird watching Cruise on Saturday 19th February leaving Cremyll at 11.30am and Saltash at 12 noon. Most places are already taken but there are some spaces available. Phone or email for availability.

We were blessed with some lovely weather; a mild autumn day with light winds and excellent visibility. After leaving Saltash, our skipper Ray, navigated close to mudflats on the Devon shore where there were good number of Oystercatcher, Grey Herons and Little Egret. Nearing the confluence with the Tavy there were large numbers of gulls, cormorants and here the first Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits were seen. We continued slowly upsteam as the tide was very low and at times there […]

Spoonbills are back on the River Tamar. Mike Beer reported 5 on the saltmarsh at Kingsmill Lake yesterday morning (14th October), one of which was colour ringed on the left leg, red over green over yellow. It could be a French bird but I’ll confirm this in the next few days. If you haven’t booked a place on our first cruise already, make sure you do soon to get a front seat to see these birds!

Malta has been shamed yet again by its illegal bird hunters, who have blasted a number of Spoonbills this week which were passing through the islands on migration from Europe to Africa. A flock of 22 Spoonbills were observed roosting in the north of Malta, but horrified birdwatchers scanning the flock the following morning saw that three of them had blood-soaked feathers after being shot by illegal hunters. Of the original 22 birds, only nine continued their journey to Africa, […]