Birdwatching Ireland

If you are you looking for information about Bird Watching in Ireland, you have come to the right place! You will find directions and parking information for 81 diverse Birding Sites in Ireland. Find all the information you need about Birding in Dublin and about birding locations in Ireland.  Each birding site is described in detail. You will find information about the habitat and the variety of birds that you can expect to see at that  site. Useful information about where to park is provided and also Sat-Nav co-ordinates that you can use in Google Maps. Please Note: “Birdwatching Ireland” is not affiliated with the national conservation charity “Birdwatch Ireland“.

I’m always interested in visiting new birding sites anywhere in Ireland. If you have any suggestions for sites not already featured here, please send details to victor@birdwatchingireland.com

Birding Ireland

Latest Update 26 November, 2024

Birdwatching in Ireland

What are the best birdwatching sites in Ireland? Bull Island, the Great South Wall and Broadmeadows Estuary must be contenders in Dublin. So too are Howth Head, Dalkey Island and Turvey Nature Reserve. Wexford is renowned for migrating birds in Spring and Summer. Browse through dozens of amazing bird watching locations in Ireland, with photo galleries and parking directions.

The birdwatching locations that are listed on this site are predominantly in Leinster. There are now 8  new birdwatching sites in Munster and 3 new birding locations have been added in Galway. Spring and Autumn are good times to visit any birding sites.

Report sightings of unusual or rare birds to Irish Birding

Birding Dublin

There are 50 different birding sites in Dublin that are featured on this website. Even though Dublin is the third smallest county in Ireland and the most populated, there is great diversity in the different birding sites in the county. Of course, as a coastal county, there are many sites that are a haven for birds. And Dublin Bay has been declared a Biosphere by UNESCO. This means that individuals and organisations work in partnership to ensure people and nature can interact successfully.

In North Dublin, Skerries, Rush, Portrane and Rogerstown offer superb access to the coast and the variety of birds in each location is very high. Alternatively, Bull Island and Sandymount Strand are two of the best birding sites in Ireland. They are also close to the city. Dun Laoghaire Harbour and Dalkey Island on the south coast of Dublin are certainly worth visiting.

Away from the coastline, Dublin has three substantial rivers, the Liffey, the Dodder and the Tolka. Long stretches of these rivers are easily accessible. Dublin also has the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal with easy access to walkways along the canals. These all provide opportunities for bird watching. And of course there are the city parks, including the Phoenix Park which is the largest enclosed park in Europe.

In 2024 there have been a couple of rare visitors to Ireland. A Yellow-crowned Night Heron arrived in the small village of xx in June 2004. This is the first sighting of this bird in Ireland. A Least has returned to Portrane in Dublin and is still present in July 2024.

Click on the “Dublin” link in the main menu to explore 50 Birding Locations in Dublin.

 

The position of Ireland on the western edge of Europe means that we experience reverse bird migrations in Spring and Autumn. Birds migrating from northern Europe and arctic regions to avoid harsh winter weather, will spend the winter in Ireland. These include geese, ducks, swans, grebes, wading birds and others, that will be seen throughout the winter in estuaries, lakes and along our shoreline. Other birds like swallows, warblers and terns for example will migrate here in Spring to spend the summer months here.

As an added bonus, there are rare birds that will stop off for a short time to rest here, as they are making a longer migration. County Wexford has long been considered an excellent birding location and it is right in the path of bird migration routes. Wexford is a regular stop off point for rare birds. As a result, Wexford is one of the best bird watching sites in Ireland. This is one of the reasons why Birding in Ireland is so rewarding!

Browse through the list of galleries below to give you a sense of what you can expect to see on your visit. Click on the link in the main menu to see 50 bird watching locations in Dublin, and many more in different counties.

Use the main menu above to explore many more locations that are excellent for bird watching in Ireland.

There are 50 sites sites listed on this website where you can go Birding in Dublin. Habitats include coastlines, beaches, rivers, canals, reservoirs, parks, nature reserves and headlands. Also included are directions, parking information and a photograph gallery for each site.

Dublin Bay is an important site for birds at all times of the year. The Bay supports thousands of water birds that migrate here every Autumn and remain until Spring. These include huge flocks of waders, ducks and geese. Huge expanses of sand are exposed at low tide in Dublin, especially in Sandymount and Bull Island. This provides an important area or roosting and you can often see huge flocks of birds here at low tide.

Most of these birds migrate north in Spring and they are replaced by large flocks of terns that come here to breed. Again, you can see very large flocks of terns roosting in Dublin Bay, especially on Sandymount Strand.

Most birding enthusiasts have their favourite birding sites in Ireland. But you may not be familiar with bird watching sites that are located outside of your local area. So here is the information that you will find on this website:

  • A brief description of all bird watching locations and the type of habitat you can expect at each site.
  • A photograph gallery of all the birds that were seen on the day of the visit. This will be useful to anyone interested in bird photography in Ireland.
  • Directions and information about where you can park your car on the day of your visit.
  • Sat Nav co-ordinates for the exact parking location.
  • Over time, more birdwatching sites will be visited in different locations across Ireland.

Click on “Birds of Ireland A to Z” in the main menu to see an A to Z list of birds in Ireland.

Gulls of Ireland

We often hear gulls before we see them. They can be particularly loud and boistress around harbours, picnic areas or anywhere there are gatherings of people with food! Gulls are natural scavengers and will travel great distances to find food. This is why you will see them travelling in large numbers to local dumps, large public areas with bins and basically anywhere they can expect to find food.

There is a wide variety of gulls to be seen both inland and around our coasts. Click on the link below to see a gallery of the different types of gulls in Ireland!

Gulls Ireland