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