We were deep into Taw and Torridge branch territory for this walk, but I’m sure they didn’t mind as the birds are there for all to share! Before our walk, we were given an introduction to Home Farm Marsh by one of the volunteers for the Gaia Trust, Tim, who gave an overview of the farming system, the varied habitats present and a list of the 135 different bird species that have been recorded there. With that, we set off to explore, initially around the Quay area. We had arrived just after high tide, so areas of mud were just being exposed at the edges of the river and waders moving in. There were mostly Redshank, Oystercatcher and Bar-tailed Godwit, a single Greenshank, with a few Little Egret, some Cormorant on the water and small flocks of Wigeon flying in. A Rock Pipit was below the wall and a Kestrel overhead. Several Stock Dove were also on the wall, and seemed to be here in good numbers.
We crossed the bridge and followed the Tarka Trail to the entrance gateway to Home Farm Marsh. Following the bank between the river and the farm gave great views across both habitats. Flocks of Teal were on the move, flying between the river and the pond on the farm side. We picked up many of the commoner birds along the bushes here, including a family group of Long-tailed Tits which gave us great views. Teal, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot and Little Grebe were on the pond, together with a family of four Mute Swans and a couple of Little Egrets roosting in the trees. We could hear squealing Water Rail, but none actually ventured out of the reeds for us to look at. Cetti’s Warbler were giving the occasional loud burst of song and Stonechat were keeping an eye on us from their lookout points. The farm fields were a mix of winter stubbles and multi-species grassland, with plenty of weed seed attracting Linnets and will undoubtedly provide very good winter habitat for these and other seed-eating birds. Skylark were singing as we enjoyed some brief spell of sunshine.
We ate our lunch looking out over the estuary, hoping for an Osprey fly-by, but sadly not today! We made our way across the fields, picking up the Tarka Trail again and then back to the Quay, adding a few more birds on our way including a Sparrowhawk. The tide had receded rapidly and there was only a trickle of water coming under the bridge by the Quay, with a lot of exposed mud being enjoyed by the Godwits and Redshank, a single Greenshank, and just a bit further up the Pill was the almost resident Glossy Ibis. As we were watching that, a Kingfisher flew down the channel towards us and directly under the bridge where we were standing – a very nice end to the day’s walk.
A total of 57 species were seen or heard: Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Cetti’s warbler, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Glossy Ibis, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Little grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Redshank, Robin, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shelduck, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Water Rail, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Report and photos by Tom Misselbrook
