Birding on the doorstep

Enjoying the very best birdwatching around North Wales

We've been busy running back-to-back guided birdwatching daytrips around North Wales over the last couple of weeks, and it has really brought home to us just how lucky we are to have such a wonderful range of habitats right upon our doorstep.

The Great Orme, our 'back garden'

Our 'Back Garden' as we like to call the Great Orme offers seacliffs home to Fulmars, Razorbills, Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Cormorants and Shags as well as Peregrines, Kestrels, Ravens, and Choughs. Then there's the limestone pavement area with Meadow Pipits, Stonechats and Wheatears, and if you're lucky Ring Ouzels and even Dotterel passing through.

Fulmar

Wheatear

Dotterel, photo by Marc Hughes

A few miles away and there's RSPB Conwy where the reedbeds are throbbing with the calls of Reed and Sedge Warblers; Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper potter along the island edges, while a flotilla of ducklings and goslings are shepherded across the lagoon by their attendant parents.

RSPB Conwy

Little Ringed Plover

Lapwing

In the valleys around Snowdonia, Welsh woodland specialists such as Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler are now back and busily finding territories and mates. And in the upland areas, one of Britain's most amazing bird spectacles takes place at dawn as Black Grouse joust and fence each other on their lekking grounds. And looking up as you drive through North Wales' varied landscapes you may be lucky enough to catch sight of a majestic raptor such as Red Kite, Hen Harrier or Goshawk.

Snowdonia in the sunshine

Black grouse

Cross the rapid current of the Menai Straits onto Anglesey and you're birding on an island with a unique character all of its own. RSPB South Stack is a must-visit site with the ledges on the cliffs jam-packed with seabirds, while clown-like Puffins bob on the water and Choughs and Ravens wheel and soar overhead enjoying the upwelling the aircurrents. Nearby is North Wales' largest tern colony where Sandwich Terns shuttle to and fro with food, and there's the perfect opportunity to compare Arctic and Common Terns as they sit cheek-by-jowl on the islands. There are headlands for seawatching, lakes to check for wildfowl and marsh areas and estuaries perfect for a multitude of waders.

Beautiful South Stack in the sunshine

Guillemots huddled on the cliff ledge

Sandwich Tern returning to the tern colony

And we've barely scratched the surface! Truly, there can be few place in Britain where you can experience such a variety of landscapes and habitats and such a wide range of bird species, all within an hour's drive or so. We really are lucky living here in North Wales!



So perhaps we've tempted you to come and experience the delights of North Wales birdwatching for yourself? We run a variety of daytrips exploring the very best birdwatching locations in North Wales; check out our latest schedule of daytrips on Guided Birdwatching Trips in North Wales. Each daytrip can be enjoyed by itself, or if you have more time available we can put together two, three or four daytrips back-to-back giving you the chance to experience the full variety of wonderful birding in this area.



If you'd like more information on any of our daytrips or a longer birdwatching tour in North Wales, please contact us on info@thebiggesttwitch.com. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing great birds with you.