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  • Exminster and Powderham Marshes

Exminster and Powderham Marshes

We’re delighted to be open for visitors. See full facility details below. When visiting us please follow current Government guidance around travel, face coverings, social distancing, group sizes, hygiene and follow all signage on-site. See our Covid-19 updates page for the latest safety information (link below). 
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Address
RSPB Exminster and Powderham Marshes, Station House, Station Rd, Exminster, Exeter EX6 8DZ, UK
Grid ref
SX954872
What3Words
kings.defend.flesh
See our reserves Covid-19 updates page for which sites are open and other important details.

Just five miles from Exeter city centre, Exminster and Powderham Marshes are great places to see birds all year-round. Enjoy a lovely walk here in this fascinating landscape, where flocks of geese, ducks and waders are numerous. Regular visitors include lapwings, redshanks, wigeons and warblers.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

  • Picnic area
  • Guided walks
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Exeter Central and Exeter St Davids stations are just over five miles (7 km) away. Complete the journey from Exeter bus station; take the Number 2 Exeter to Teignmouth bus (see bus information).

By bus

There is a regular bus service (Number 2 Exeter - Dawlish Warren - Dawlish - Teignmouth - Newton Abbot). The Swan's Nest stop is close to the Swans Nest roundabout at the southern end of Exminster. From the Swans Nest roundabout, it's a five-minute walk down Station Road past Swans Nest Inn to the RSPB car park.

By bike

Adjacent to the National Cycle Network Route 2.

By road

On the west side of the Exe, on the outskirts of Exminster, Exminster Marshes nature reserve is at grid ref: SX954872. At the southern end of Exminster village take the Station Road exit from the Swans Nest roundabout off the A379. Go past the Swans Nest Inn and over the railway bridge. The lane to the RSPB car park is then immediately to the right (signposted). Powderham Marsh nature reserve (SX953871) is accessed from the car park at the rear of the Swans Nest Inn (by kind permission.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

The summer foot ferry links Topsham (and our Bowling Green Marsh hide and The RSPB Shop at Darts Farm) with these reserves.

Get directions from Google Maps
View on What3Words
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

What will the weather be like?

12 degrees, Sunny day

Contact Exminster and Powderham Marshes

  • RSPB Exminster and Powderham Marshes, Station House, Station Rd, Exminster, Exeter EX6 8DZ, UK
  • exe.estuary@rspb.org.uk
  • 01392 833311
  • Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

    Dark-bellied brent goose

    Brent goose

    Flocks of brent geese come to feed on the Exe estuary in winter.

    Cetti's warbler

    Cetti's warbler

    Cetti's warblers are recent colonists of the UK.

    Standing Lapwing illustration

    Lapwing

    This is the only place in Devon where this striking black-and-white wading bird still breeds.

    Sedge warbler

    Sedge warbler

    Once they've returned from Africa in spring, the sedge warbler is easy to see.

    Male wigeon

    Wigeon

    During winter, flocks of wigeons are a daily sight.

    Cirl bunting, male

    Cirl bunting

    The best time to see cirl buntings is in winter.

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

The hedges and ditch edges come alive with the explosive song of the Cetti's warbler, and the chatterings of reed and sedge warblers. Breeding lapwings and redshanks can be heard and seen displaying over the fields.

Brightly-coloured damselflies flutter amongst the lush vegetation, and dragonflies hawk the ditches, whilst butterflies use the shelter spots to enjoy the sun. Look carefully for lapwing and redshank chicks feeding beside the pools and splashy features and broods of ducklings skulking in the ditchside vegetation.

Seeds and berries bring the hedgerows alive as flocks of goldfinches gather to feed on the seed heads and redwings and fieldfares gorge on the berries. Buzzards can be found circling overhead, catching any available thermals and short-eared owls can be seen hunting over the drier fields in search of short mammals.

It's a spectacular place, with hundreds of brent geese grazing on the marsh or estuary. Wigeons can be seen grazing close to Station Road and paths, and teals are in the ditches, with shovelers on the main pool. Less common species frequenting the lagoon include tufted ducks, pintails and gadwalls.

About Exminster and Powderham Marshes

Habitat

Exminster and Powderham Marshes is a reserve featuring marshland and wetland habitats with canals and rivers, and arable fields managed for farmland birds.

Conservation

We keep these two special places just the way the birds like them, by cutting the grass for hay and controlling the water levels. Grazing cattle help keep the grass just the right length. We also manage the arable fields by planting and stubbling the crops, managing hedgerows and buffer strips.

Site information

As Devon's premier wetland this area is not only an important place for wildlife, but a place filled with human history too. The land was originally part of the estuary until the Exeter Ship Canal was built in the 19th Century, and the remains of the RAF's Second World War signal interception base can still be seen today.

Latest forum posts

  • RSPB Avocet mini Cruise this seasons last but one of the best!

    Today was the last mini cruise of the season and what a treat it was for our visitors... Weather was fantastic with bright sunshine and light winds. Plenty of birds on show today, with up to 16 Red Breasted Mergansers, 200+ Brent Geese flying onto th...

    Posted 24/02/2016 by Derek C
  • ID waders

    Not sure what these birds are down at the Exe estuary just after high tide on Friday. The bigger birds may be Redshanks, they did have red legs. But what are the smaller waders? Dunlins? And we saw the Avocets, no problem with ID! Peter

    Posted 08/12/2015 by PeterC-386654180
  • Press release on disturbance issues affecting Brent Geese and Wildfowl

    If you see it report it to Gavin Bloomfield our conservation officer.... Wildlife experts are appealing to the public to take care around the estuaries of the Westcountry this autumn after a number of incidents in which migratory wildfowl were distur...

    Posted 29/10/2015 by Derek C
  • Photo's

    Do you mean in a thread or in the Photo tag?

    Posted 14/12/2014 by Derek C
read our forum

Latest blog posts

  • Crisp wintery mornings, peregrine falcon aerial acrobatics, work party antics and Avocet Cruises

    With the marshes filling up, and the winter species moving in, these cold crisp mornings provide fantastic conditions to be out on the marshes. After desert like conditions all summer long, with cracked mud and yellow grass, the last week’s rain has ...

    Posted 19/10/2018 by Tom A
  • Autumns in the air and were getting ready for the exciting arrivals

    With the evening light shortening and the mornings feeling a little chillier, signs that autumn is approaching are beginning. We are eagerly anticipating the autumn/winter migrants; over the next few weeks and months the marsh should regain its marsh...

    Posted 07/09/2018 by Tom A
  • John O’Groats to Land’s End, Over 900 miles in 10 days, for the RSPB and Ecosystem Impact’s Salur Valley Bird Conservation Programme

    On September the 17th my mum and I are cycling over 900 miles, from John O’Groats to Land’s End, in just 10 days. By doing this cycle ride, we aim to raise money for two incredible causes: the RSPB (UK) and Ecosystem Impact’s Salur Valley Bird Conser...

    Posted 21/08/2018 by Tom A
  • Marsh harriers on the marshes, and why not come play in our discovery area!

    Differing greatly from the high speed predation techniques of hobby’s, peregrines and sparrow hawks, marsh harriers are often seen gently soaring across the skyline and can appear to be flying in slow motion. We have had a marsh harrier hanging aroun...

    Posted 11/08/2018 by Tom A
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