South Devon in Winter – A Weekend Break

By popular demand, we are pleased to re-launch this short birding break which begins and ends in the cathedral city of Exeter.  We will visit the top bird watching sites along the rich mudflats of the Exe estuary which attract Little Egret, Brent Goose, Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser, Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher, Curlew, grebes, divers and sea-duck among many other birds. We’ll look out for the resident Buzzards and Peregrines which compete with visiting raptors for prey over the nearby marshes, while on the Devon heaths we’ll look for Dartford Warblers and, if we are lucky, perhaps see a wintering Great Grey Shrike. One of the undoubted highlights of this short break will be views of the most famous of the area's winter visitors, Avocets, which sometimes gather in groups hundreds-strong at the water’s edge. We can also hope for a glimpse of the rare Cirl Bunting. Leading this tour will be top local birder and Devon resident Matt Collis.