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The Exe estuary in Devon is an example of an excellent winter birdwatching venue. The estuary plays host to thousands of waders and ducks which feed in the rich soft mud. The surrounding fields harbour thousands of geese, fieldfare, redwing and roosting waders.
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Birds Of Seas And Cliffs
No seabird can remain out at sea all its life. It has to come ashore once a year to breed. Outside the breeding season, several birds that nest along the coasts of Europe fly out to sea and they may then be seen only from boats. These seabirds include shearwaters, petrels, the gannet, auks such as the razorbill, guillemot and puffin, and the kittiwake (which is a gull). Most of them are to be found out in the Atlantic Ocean and a few in the Mediterranean Sea. This is because cold water contains more oxygen than warm water and consequently cold seas are richer in fish and other marine life than warm seas. The cooler waters of the Atlantic are therefore a richer feeding ground and attract more seabirds. Most seabirds stay around the continental shelves. Apart from Sabine's gull and the kittiwake, gulls do not fly out of sight of land.
Gulls may be seen at the coast all the year round, though many go inland for the winter. Winter is the time to see marine ducks such as the eider and mergansers, which dive for food near the shore. In summer, nesting seabirds flyover the waves seeking food for their young. Terns may be seen diving from the air into the water in many places, for they nest in colonies on beaches. Gannets and auks can be seen around their cliff and island colonies. Cormorants and shags may be seen at any time of year, flying low over the sea or perched on a rock with their wings spread out to dry, for the feathers are not waterproof.
Offshore islands and high cliffs by the sea afford safe nesting places for seabirds, and breeding colonies gather at traditional sites in the spring and summer. Puffins and shearwaters burrow in the ground on islands or at the tops of cliffs. On the cliff ledges gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars may be seen nesting. The colonies can become very crowded with birds and some, such as kittiwakes, may use window ledges on coastal buildings instead of cliffs. Sea cliffs are further used by birds that also nest on inland cliffs, such as jackdaws, crows, kestrels' and peregrine falcons. Sandy cliffs make good places for sand martins to excavate their nesting burrows. These birds do not feed from the sea but may seek food at the shore, catching insect food in flight.
Birds Of The Seashore
The seashore may appear to be a barren place where few animals of any kind could survive, but this is not at all the case. At high tide, the bare rocks and deserted stretches of pebbles or sand may be inhospitable but as the tide goes down, a wide range of food is uncovered and many birds take advantage of it. Shellfish such as mussels cling to the rocks, and small creatures shelter beneath the pebbles and among the seaweed. Buried in the sand are more shellfish and worms. With their very small tides, the shores of the Mediterranean Sea do not offer much of a feeding ground for birds. The shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the seas around the British Isles have a wide tidal range, and at low tide great expanses of mud, sand, rocks and pools may be uncovered, each with a range of food that attracts many birds to feed. Several species are to be found along rocky and stony shores.
Oystercatchers can prise open shellfish and feed at beds of mussels and other molluscs. Turnstones root about, looking under pebbles and probing among the seaweed to find insects and other small seashore animals. These birds can be seen at the shore all the year round, while others may be there only for nesting. Terns may lay their speckled eggs among the pebbles, the blotches on the eggs camouflaging them so that they are difficult to spot. Plovers also nest at stony shores.
The openness of sandy beaches attracts few nesting birds, but they are a good place to see birds in winter, as are the mud flats that lie along the shore and estuaries. Plovers and sandpipers may gather there in large flocks during the winter. They probe in the soft mud or sand with their long beaks, while the longer-legged birds like the avocet may wade in the shallows and sift through the mud and water for food. Water birds such as divers, grebes and ducks also gather at these rich feeding grounds in the winter, and geese come to browse on the vegetation that lines the shore. Migration time is particularly good for birdwatching on the seashore. Unusual birds may settle to feed there, and many birds like to follow the coastline, as they migrate, coming in to visit at favourable locations on the way.
Estuary mud flats in the UK are one of the most fertile habitats in Britain and many birdwatchers flock to the numerous sites in winter to witness thousands of wading birds and ducks feeding in the mud, it is not uncommon to have over 20 species of wader and duck feeding on one mud bank at low tide. Many sites are protected and have the comfort of permanent hides and shelters to watch from.
No seabird can remain out at sea all its life. It has to come ashore once a year to breed. Outside the breeding season, several birds that nest along the coasts of Europe fly out to sea and they may then be seen only from boats. These seabirds include shearwaters, petrels, the gannet, auks such as the razorbill, guillemot and puffin, and the kittiwake (which is a gull). Most of them are to be found out in the Atlantic Ocean and a few in the Mediterranean Sea. This is because cold water contains more oxygen than warm water and consequently cold seas are richer in fish and other marine life than warm seas. The cooler waters of the Atlantic are therefore a richer feeding ground and attract more seabirds. Most seabirds stay around the continental shelves. Apart from Sabine's gull and the kittiwake, gulls do not fly out of sight of land.
Gulls may be seen at the coast all the year round, though many go inland for the winter. Winter is the time to see marine ducks such as the eider and mergansers, which dive for food near the shore. In summer, nesting seabirds flyover the waves seeking food for their young. Terns may be seen diving from the air into the water in many places, for they nest in colonies on beaches. Gannets and auks can be seen around their cliff and island colonies. Cormorants and shags may be seen at any time of year, flying low over the sea or perched on a rock with their wings spread out to dry, for the feathers are not waterproof.
Offshore islands and high cliffs by the sea afford safe nesting places for seabirds, and breeding colonies gather at traditional sites in the spring and summer. Puffins and shearwaters burrow in the ground on islands or at the tops of cliffs. On the cliff ledges gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars may be seen nesting. The colonies can become very crowded with birds and some, such as kittiwakes, may use window ledges on coastal buildings instead of cliffs. Sea cliffs are further used by birds that also nest on inland cliffs, such as jackdaws, crows, kestrels' and peregrine falcons. Sandy cliffs make good places for sand martins to excavate their nesting burrows. These birds do not feed from the sea but may seek food at the shore, catching insect food in flight.
Birds Of The Seashore
The seashore may appear to be a barren place where few animals of any kind could survive, but this is not at all the case. At high tide, the bare rocks and deserted stretches of pebbles or sand may be inhospitable but as the tide goes down, a wide range of food is uncovered and many birds take advantage of it. Shellfish such as mussels cling to the rocks, and small creatures shelter beneath the pebbles and among the seaweed. Buried in the sand are more shellfish and worms. With their very small tides, the shores of the Mediterranean Sea do not offer much of a feeding ground for birds. The shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the seas around the British Isles have a wide tidal range, and at low tide great expanses of mud, sand, rocks and pools may be uncovered, each with a range of food that attracts many birds to feed. Several species are to be found along rocky and stony shores.
Oystercatchers can prise open shellfish and feed at beds of mussels and other molluscs. Turnstones root about, looking under pebbles and probing among the seaweed to find insects and other small seashore animals. These birds can be seen at the shore all the year round, while others may be there only for nesting. Terns may lay their speckled eggs among the pebbles, the blotches on the eggs camouflaging them so that they are difficult to spot. Plovers also nest at stony shores.
The openness of sandy beaches attracts few nesting birds, but they are a good place to see birds in winter, as are the mud flats that lie along the shore and estuaries. Plovers and sandpipers may gather there in large flocks during the winter. They probe in the soft mud or sand with their long beaks, while the longer-legged birds like the avocet may wade in the shallows and sift through the mud and water for food. Water birds such as divers, grebes and ducks also gather at these rich feeding grounds in the winter, and geese come to browse on the vegetation that lines the shore. Migration time is particularly good for birdwatching on the seashore. Unusual birds may settle to feed there, and many birds like to follow the coastline, as they migrate, coming in to visit at favourable locations on the way.
Estuary mud flats in the UK are one of the most fertile habitats in Britain and many birdwatchers flock to the numerous sites in winter to witness thousands of wading birds and ducks feeding in the mud, it is not uncommon to have over 20 species of wader and duck feeding on one mud bank at low tide. Many sites are protected and have the comfort of permanent hides and shelters to watch from.
Greenshank
Great Skua
Kitttiwake
Razorbill
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