Photograph by Tony Jones

We were blessed with another fine day to enjoy the sights and sounds of the river. As usual we headed upstream from Saltash seeing good numbers of  Curlew and Wigeon, several Grey Heron’s, 2 Red breasted Mergansers and a Little Egret but then became firmly lodged on a cockle bank. This gave us good opportunity to watch a hundred or so foraging Avocet, compare Black-tailed and Bar tailed Godwit  and the various gulls and a Merlin flew across the river into Devon. After a while the rising tide set us free and we continued past Cargreen, with numerous Shelduck on the mud, to Weir Quay, with good views of Avocet as we went. Greenshank and Redshank we added to the day’s tally but no Spotted Redshank or Common Sandpiper on this occasion.

Returning towards Saltash, a Cormorant struggled with a half decent flounder but lost it, and then it was under the bridge and into the mouth of the Lynher looking for Spoonbill. We found only two, both rather distant views and suspect the others may have been out of sight up Shillingham Creek. More Wigeon, Shelduck, Curlew, Mallard, another Greenshank and then on the return leg, a male Scaup probably the same that we’d seen at the end of January. Finally passing Rat Island we had good views of a Spoonbill at last – asleep, with the all important bill tucked well out of sight! Only after we’d drifted past did it wake up.

The number and variety of birds was fewer than a fortnight ago, many having already left for more northerly localities but still a good day was had by all.