United Kingdom Ramsar wetland
Exe Estuary
301 bird species recorded; the most in January, from April to May and in October.
Simon Cobb · CC0
This month here
189 species in January.175 species in February.184 species in March.203 species in April.201 species in May.189 species in June.174 species in July.189 species in August.187 species in September.194 species in October.187 species in November.173 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
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NTNTNTNTNTNTNTNTNTNTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
301 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 301Speciesrecorded more than once
- 131Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 17ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 133,237Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 11Raptors
- 4Owls
- 50Waders
- 47Gulls & seabirds
- 48Ducks & geese
- 15Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 96Songbirds
- 28Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 301 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Little OwlAthene noctua
Waders50 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Eurasian DotterelCharadrius morinellus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
Gulls & seabirds47 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Common GullLarus canus
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Long-billed MurreletBrachyramphus perdixNT
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- FulmarFulmarus glacialis
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Ross's GullRhodostethia rosea
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- Balearic shearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusCR
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Long-tailed SkuaStercorarius longicaudus
- Little AukAlle alle
- Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaVU
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Black GuillemotCepphus grylle
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
Ducks & geese48 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
- Falcated DuckMareca falcata
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisVU
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- SmewMergellus albellus
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- Lesser white-fronted gooseAnser erythropusVU
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common CraneGrus grus
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Songbirds96 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Great titParus major
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- European Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Olive-backed PipitAnthus hodgsoni
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
- Willow TitPoecile montanus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Pallas's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus proregulus
- Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Red-breasted flycatcherFicedula parva
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Eastern Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillans
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
Other birds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- CootFulica atra
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Porzana parvaPorzana parva
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January, from April to May and in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan9°/6°105 mm
- Feb8°/6°81 mm
- Mar9°/6°77 mm
- Apr11°/7°59 mm
- May14°/10°60 mm
- Jun16°/12°62 mm
- Jul18°/14°64 mm
- Aug19°/15°78 mm
- Sep18°/14°56 mm
- Oct15°/12°110 mm
- Nov12°/9°114 mm
- Dec10°/7°114 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Exe Estuary.
Estuary in Devon, UK
Exe Estuary is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United Kingdom.
301 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 133,237 open records.
The most recorded are the European Herring Gull, the Mallard and the Eurasian Curlew.
66 species come for the summer, 63 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
17 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, Common Pochard and Horned Grebe.
The most species are recorded in January, from April to May and in October.
Get there and watch
- Hunters Lodge Caravan and Campingcampsite · 2.1 km · 31 within 10 km
- Stile Farm B&Bplace to stay · 1.6 km · 88 within 10 km
- Starcrossnearest town · 1.2 km in a straight line
- Exeter International Airport (EXT)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 11 km in a straight lineCar hire at EXT airport (Exeter, Devon)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 9bird hides within 6 kmviewing platform, The Lookout and 7 more
- 9marked trails within 4 kmTwo Counties Way, East Devon Way, Exe Valley Way and 6 more
- 4visitor centres within 6 kmExmouth Tourist Information Centre, Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve and 2 more
- 15viewpoints within 5 kmEstuary View, The Rag, Donkey Hill and 12 more
- 112car parks within 3 km
- 50restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 31campsites within 10 kmHunters Lodge Caravan and Camping, Dawlish Sands Holiday Park, Dawlish Warren Holiday Park and 28 more
- 88places to stay within 10 kmStile Farm B&B, Sanday's B&B, Sea Lawn Lodge B&B and 85 more
- observation towers within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Exe Estuary.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas8 mountains within 25 kmHaldon Hill · 9.4 kmHigh Peak · 12 kmPeak Hill · 13 kmRaddon Top · 21 kmHingston Down · 22 kmHaytor Rocks · 24 kmGreator Rocks371 m · 24 kmHound Tor410 m · 25 km
Darkskyas1 dark-sky places within 30 kmNorman Lockyer ObservatoryBortle 3 · 16 km
Cavernyas2 caves within 20 kmCow Cave · 13 kmKents Cavern · 19 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Exe Estuary
United Kingdom
- 89Birdyas Score
- 301Species
- 131Migrants
- 17Threatened
Portsmouth Harbour
United Kingdom · 164 km
- 76Birdyas Score
- 207Species
- 89Migrants
- 6Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q5419753) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 133,237 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Darkskyas, Cavernyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
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lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit