High Tide at Dawlish Warren

OYSTERCATCHERS , WIGEON AND AN OWN GOAL

16th October 2013

There is a hide at Dawlish Warren National Nature reserve which looks out over the Exe estuary, it is next to the shallow bay, known as the Bight, behind the sand dunes of Warren Point. At high tide, the Bight is completely flooded and waders gather to roost at  both its ends. The southern end is right in front of the hide.
I took an afternoon off from my housekeeping and family duties on the afternoon of Wednesday 16th, which was a beautiful day. I was in the hide with my kit ready in good time before high tide. There were plenty of oystercatchers mustering in the area as the tide rose and I got some nice shots as they came closer, using my 500mm lens with my 1.4x converter.

But then I made a big mistake. The oystercatchers were moving to the right hand (western) end of the hide, so I moved along and tried to open another window to get the light at a better angle. Unfortunately I was not careful enough and the birds were too close, so they flew off.
I was mortified. Disturbing birds at a roost is very bad practice. Fortunately the other roost was undisturbed so the birds got a rest. It was also lucky that there were no other birders around, or I would have spoiled their afternoon too. I have learned to be much more careful in the future and I will open windows in anticipation well before the birds arrive.


The only birds that came close to the hide were a small party of wigeon. This drake was in beautiful plumage and showed well in the light.