• Holiday Cottages Near a RSPB Nature Reserve

Best Destinations for a Bird Watching Holiday in the UK and Ireland

Do you love watching birds and wildfowl?  If so, read through our guide on ideas of good places to holiday in the UK and Ireland where you can enjoy a spot of birding.
 

RSPB Nature Reserves

• Find Cottages Near a RSPB Nature Reserve

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has over 100 nature reserves throughout the UK and Northern Ireland, from Marazion Marsh in Cornwall to Ramna Stacks in the Shetland Isles.  There are great places to enjoy getting close to nature and to see a variety of birds and insects such as dragonflies in season.

Islands

Naturally some of the best places to see birds are in the least populated areas where our feathered friends are free to go about their business mostly undisturbed.  For this reason, some of the UK and Ireland’s islands are the best places to do a spot of birding.

• The Farne Islands in Northumberland, England

Reached by boat, the Farne Islands are a great location to spot puffins, terns and kittiwakes. Don’t forget your camera!

• Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Reputed to be one of the UK’s top places for birdwatching, this island is teeming with birds including puffins, razorbills and manx shearwaters.  Seals and dolphins are also sometimes spotted here. 
 

Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Centres

Dotted throughout England, Wales and Ireland are a number of wildfowl and wetland trust centres.  These are great places to reconnect with nature and do a spot of twitching. There is even one in London, a true oasis in the city!  At Llanelli you can see geese, various other birds, as well as butterflies and dragonflies in season.  Head to Castle Espie in Ireland and spot various migrant birds passing through including ducks, swans, oystercatchers and cygnets. Don’t forget your binoculars for the best views.