Birding visit to Otter Estuary nature reserve, Budleigh Salterton, on 14th March 2026

I was staying in a mobile home at Devon Cliffs Holiday Park near Exmouth for a week and, on my first full day in Devon, went on the bus to Budleigh Salterton in order to visit the Otter Estuary nature reserve

View of some of the houses on the cliff in Budleigh Salterton, with the holiday park on the distant cliffs

The flatter part of Devon Cliffs Holiday Park - all the rest of it was uphill!

View from the coast side of the nature reserve at low tide

I was greeted by a friendly Robin near the entrance to the reserve

Distant tree and clouds past a reed bed

Pair of Shelduck searching for food in the mud

Oystercatcher patrolling the very shallow water

Tall thin tree trunk is a point of interest in the centre of the reserve

Male and female Eurasian Teal feeding in the shallow water

Two Spoonbills in the centre of the estuary

I managed to get slightly closer to the Spoonbills and this one began walking away from me

The two Spoonbills feeding in one of the channels in the estuary

I saw them preening later on in the afternoon

Two Little Egrets on the other side of shallow water - viewed from one of the bird hides

Closer look at one of the Little Egrets

Redshank resting at the edge of the mud

Path at one side of the nature reserve

Row of trees on a ridge on the other side of the river Otter and overlooking the sea

Little Egret strutting its stuff when I was leaving the Otter Estuary nature reserve

View of Budleigh Salterton as I walked along the sea front after a great walk round the nature reserve

 

Bird and nature walk in Walthamstow Wetlands - 5th March 2026

Two male Tufted ducks on one of the reservoirs on a bright sunny day

Female following a male Tufted duck

Fresh new buds in front of a clear blue sky

Romeo, the local cat, chilling out in the sunshine

Pair of Egyptian geese in front of an island in the reservoir

Grey Heron with long extended neck

Gadwall drake standing in shallow water

Female Gadwall searching for a snack

Mute Swan and Grey Heron at the edge of the reservoir

Grey Heron lifting its wings ready for take-off

Tiny Wren towards the top of a tree

I took a photograph of a large swathe of Blackthorn blossoms and then saw a Peacock Butterfly in the centre!

Two Grey Herons at the side of the reservoir - both enjoying the lovely sunshine

The Engine House visitor centre

On the other side of the Wetlands a blond Egyptian goose was searching for a snack

Robin at the end of a branch as I left the Wetlands in the late afternoon

 

Birds at Rye Harbour nature reserve on 28th February 2025

Our coach left London on a drizzly morning and stopped off at Castle Water so that we could walk along a muddy path to the viewing platform there.  

It was still overcast when a male Marsh Harrier flew above the water and in front of sheep in a field

We then drove to Rye Harbour, where a Stonechat was sitting in brambles near the Visitor Centre

A Redshank was standing on the edge of grass in front of four sheep

Oystercatcher searching for food in the wet mud at low tide

Redshank refused to turn round for a photograph

A Turnstone was searching for food on the ground near the edge of the river Rother

Group of Golden Plovers on a spit of land in the lagoon near the Visitor Centre

Group of Avocet standing together in another part of the lagoon

Flocks of birds were spooked by something as I sat in one of the bird hides in the centre of the lagoons

Lapwings took to the sky

Shelduck striking an usual pose

Lapwings were standing on a small island in a lagoon with the old Lifeguard building at the back

Just caught a couple of ducks before they flew out of sight!

Male Kestrel sitting at the top of a tree

Group of Wigeon and a few Redshank near the water with the Visitor Centre in the background

Walking Wigeon with a couple of Redshank at the edge of the water

At the end of my walk, I took a photo of the famous black tin shed with red roof at the edge of the river