Andrew Cooper has been a wildlife film-maker since 1979. He has made no less than 30 natural history films, all shown on BBC television. Extracts from his book "Secret Nature of the Channel Shore" will be featured by BBC Devon Online over the coming months.

Turn of the tide - the Exe Estuary

As the river Exe nears the shore, fresh water meets salt and its flow falters and spreads.

Twice a day, this estuary’s huge mud banks and meandering channels are flooded by the incoming tide, and twice left exposed.

The Exe estuary is internationally important for its wildlife

In terms of wildlife and scenic beauty, the Exe is one of the largest and most important estuaries emptying into the English Channel.

Its sources lies high on the windswept hills of Exmoor and its waters are swelled by several tributaries traversing the rich Devon soil.





A fine winter dawn provides a picturesque scene, with weak sun illuminating a flat calm sea and some 3500 brent geese floating close inshore. Drifting among the massive flock are thousands of small wildfowl and nearly 1500 wading birds.

Brent geese forage in the setting sun of late winter. Feeding is dictated by the tides

Sound carries far on such a morning and the still, crisp air is filled with amazing noise. Geese grunt and call to each other in a constant clamour, while the whistling note of widgeon adds to the estuarine chorus.


There is one bird that people are prepared to travel hundreds of miles just to catch a glimpse of - the avocet. A striking attractive plumage and the elegance of an upturned bill are the distinctive lines of this long-legged bird. In early winter, the first flock settles on the estuary mud, its contrasting black and white markings brightening the dullest day. Even the avocet’s movement, a stately walk and scything motion of its bill, puts it into a class of its own.

The European spoonbill is almost an annual visitor to the Exe

As spring progresses the birds that reside around the estuary begin to appear with their young. The grey herons are among the most conspicuous, because these big birds gather together in a nesting colony. One of the largest heronries in this part of England is situated in the nearby grounds of Powderham Castle.




The breathtaking appearance of the avocets, the huge flocks of geese and the haunting cry of the curlew linger in the memories of visitors to the estuary.For many, these and other birds are the life of the tidal flats.

Low tide at Exmouth: twice daily the estuary is left exposed for birds to exploit

But the real strength of the estuary grows from its mud and wriggles through its sand, an incredible teeming world of weird worms, fascinating shells and extraordinary plants - all fed by an unending supply of nutrients from both land and sea.

Previous articles by Andrew Cooper:
Slapton Ley - Pure Lagoon

Turn of the Tide is an extract from Andrew Cooper's book "Secret Nature of the Channel Shore."