Less than two months after receiving Community Rail designation, the Avocet Line to Exmouth has received funding to publicise bird watching by train.
The original leaflet – 'Your guide to wild birds by train' – was produced jointly by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Avocet Line Rail Users Group (ALRUG) in early 2009. However, stocks quickly ran out and no money was available to reprint.
The Avocet Line's new Community Rail status has unlocked new money which, with additional support from Devon County Council, the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and ALRUG, has enabled the popular leaflet to be updated and 20,000 copies printed. The leaflet includes an up-to-date map of the Exe Estuary Trail from Exmouth to Topsham, as well as information about local bird watching sites, the birds you might see, and how you can get there.
RSPB spokesman Tony Whitehead welcomed the leaflet. "In winter, up to 15,000 water birds flock to the Exe Estuary. Travelling by train on the Avocet Line is one of the easiest ways to enjoy these stunning winter visitors. Helping people to find out where they can see the birds, and to recognise them when they do, is a crucial part of increasing awareness of this internationally important estuary and promoting its conservation."
ALRUG Chairman Tony Day said "I am delighted that, working together, we have been able to produce an updated version of "Your guide to wild birds by train". With the additional Sunday trains, this is another early gain from the Avocet Line joining the Community Rail family."
The leaflet is being distributed by First Great Western and the Rail Partnership and is available free of charge from staffed railway stations and tourist information centres.
The Community Rail funding comes from the Designated Community Rail Development Fund, backed by the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships.
