There are lots of brilliant things about living so close to the stunning Welsh coastline. Lazy beach days, bracing walks, amazing views, summer paddles, sandy picnics and exciting boat rides to name a few. But, what about all the wonderful species of seabirds of the Welsh Coast? Beautiful birds who make their home along the beaches, coves and cliffs of the coast.

And the best thing about all the seabirds of the Welsh Coast is that you don’t have to go very far to spot them. Some species are incredibly common so there’s the chance to encounter them everyday in North Wales. Others are a little scarcer and you’ll have to look harder to find them but that doesn’t mean they are impossible to spot.

As the weather gets warmer and the sun is coming out, Spring and early summer is an ideal time to head out to the coast to spot some of our glorious seabirds. Here’s our list of the most stunning seabirds of the Welsh Coast, and where to spot them.

• Artic Terns – one of the coast’s rarer seabirds. These pretty white birds with a distinctive black head and neck can be seen along the Welsh coast, but particularly in parts of Anglesey. Did you know that they can live for up to 30 years! And in that time it’s thought that they fly the equivalent of three return trips to the moon!

Arctic Tern Image from wiki commons

• Cormorants – these majestic seabirds are commonly spotted off the coast of Anglesey and the Llyn Peninsula. You’ll easily spot them by their grey feathers and large wingspan (up to 100cm!). They love to eat fish so you can often spot them diving from cliffs and rocks. Shags are part of the same family of seabird.
• Manx Shearwater – Wales has half of the world’s population of these lovely seabirds so spotting one along the coast shouldn’t be too difficult. The coast around Bardsey Island is the best place to see them (there are over 16,000 breeding pairs around the island!).
• Ospreys – Ospreys are pretty rare in the UK but luckily, not far from the Oakeley Arms there’s an Osprey breeding site, just outside Porthmadog. The Glaslyn Osprey Project has supported these beautiful birds since 2004 when they returned to the area to breed. It’s a special project because in 1916 Osprey’s disappeared from the UK altogether and the Glaslyn Ospreys were the first to appear in Wales again.

Osprey. Image from wiki commons

• Gannets – gannets are one of the most common seabirds you’ll find anywhere in the UK. The bright white birds are usually spotted in large groups, diving to catch their supper. Gannets are easy to spot along all of the coast, and they even venture inland sometimes!

Gannets on the coast Image from Wikipedia

• Choughs – there are only a few hundred breeding pairs of chough in the UK, and Wales has over 75% of these. The chough is the rarest member of the blackbird family, and in Welsh it’s called Bran Goesgoch, which literally translates as “Red Legged Crow”.
• Red Kites – one of the rarest birds to spot along the Welsh coast, these majestic birds are usually to be found high in the mountains and crags of Mid Wales – although they have been known to venture a little further afield and have been spotted along the coast of Ceredigion and southern Gwynedd.
• Peregrine Falcon – these birds are another of the coasts birds of prey, although they are pretty rare. They have been spotted along Cardigan Bay, so the cliffs along the Llyn Peninsula would be a good place to start looking for them. They are one of the fastest creatures on the planet – they can reach speeds of up to 200mph as they dive for their supper!