The
Dawlish Warren recording area
For the purposes of this website, records are considered
when found anywhere on the sandspit east of the railway, from the rocky shore
of Langstone Rock in the south to the railway bridge at Cockwood harbour 2.6 km
(1.6mls) to the north. The area then
follows the reserve boundary down the middle of the Exe Channel, past Warren
Point and north of Pole Sands. Birds
seen out to sea are accepted at any distance from “straight out and northward”
from Langstone Rock and anywhere off the spit “this side” of the Exe Channel.
Additionally, birds at sea seen from Exmouth at least 300m out are also
included; birds watched from the spit, which are flying over the mainland are
excluded. The significantly different
habitat of the outer car park is considered outside the modern recording area.
The reserves
cover some 210 ha (505 acres) but terrestrial habitats only occupy c.35% of this. The spit, from Langstone Rock is 2.5 km (1.5mls) long and roughly
0.8 km (0.5mls) wide.