Steps Bridge, 7th June 2026

A cool, cloudy morning greeted the 17 of us who met at Steps Bridge in the beautiful Teign Valley.  On the plus side, we missed any showers, however the cool conditions and the recent wet and windy weather did not encourage too many woodland birds to show.  Nevertheless, we had a very pleasant walk through up the woods with good views of the valley from the top and heard skylarks singing in the adjacent fields above, before we descended and returned along the valley.

In the woods there were brief appearances by Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Blackcap, also Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch. A Buzzard also flew over for a period, perhaps also helping to ensure that the woodland birds kept a lower profile than usual. Perhaps the highlight was to watch a Pied Flycatcher using a natural hole in a tree rather than using one of the many bird boxes in the wood.

Back in the valley we had views of Grey Wagtails, but despite river levels recovering due to the recent rain, Dippers were notable by their absence.

All in all, it was an enjoyable walk and it was good to welcome newcomers to our group who had seen our walk advertised on the Rivers and Moors Festival website. Thanks go to Chris for leading us. 

Steve Manktelow

20 species identified (H – heard only)

Herring Gull, Mallard, Buzzard, Magpie, Jay, Woodpigeon, Swift, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest (H), Blue Tit, Robin, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap, Pied Flycatcher, Grey Wagtail, Skylark (H).