The Islands of Guernsey are home to a huge variety of wildlife, including birds, sea life and plants, thanks to the diverse range of habitats.
In particular, the islands are a paradise for keen bird watchers, with over 200 species of bird recorded each year. Spring and autumn are particularly great for bird spotting, with the most sightings being recorded between February and May, and September and January - but you are sure to see a wide range of species no matter the time of year you visit.
Whether you have been a keen birder for years or are just starting out, this guide will help ensure you get the most from your birdwatching holiday to the Bailiwick.
How to get started with birdwatching
If you’re new to bird watching, or are keen to try bird watching in a new place, the Islands of Guernsey are a great place to start. The sheer number of species we see, paired with the natural habitats that our islands provide, make it easy to begin looking for new birds. Grab your binoculars and set out to one of our many bird watching sights.
If you want advice from local experts, or perhaps someone to join, visit the RSPB Local Group website or Facebook page, where keen local birders post pictures of birds they’ve spotted and share advice for others.
Guernsey Bird Watching is another local Facebook page where locals and visitors discuss their experiences with birdwatching on our islands, post photos and organise meetings of like-minded individuals to go and spot birds together.
The Alderney Bird Observatory, the only bird observatory in the Channel Islands, often holds meetings and events for people interested in birdwatching. Even if there isn’t a specific event, you’re likely to meet a whole host of people on a visit here with similar interests.
The Alderney Wildlife Trust have a latest bird sightings board outside their office in Victoria Street, St Anne and you can also view the puffin and gannet Webcams inside. They offer guided bird walks, and there is always a specialist available to talk to and binoculars to borrow!
Birdwatching Tours
Many people like to go bird watching on their own, to enjoy the full peace and quiet of nature, but if you're looking for an organised group trip or tour, our islands have several offerings to explore.
Tours of Guernsey offer bespoke walking tours tailored to your requirements, and can take you to some of the best locations for spotting birds.
Outdoor Guernsey has a ‘Puffin Patrol’ kayak tour, which starts at Shell Beach in Herm. The trip lasts two hours and is perfect for groups who want to get up close to puffins, as well as several other marine birds.
For those who have a need for speed, Island Rib Voyages offer an exhilarating, guided wildlife tour that also takes you towards the puffins that nest just off Herm, as well as the nearby seal colony. You will also have a good chance of spotting dolphins!
Sark Boat Trips offer leisurely, two and a half hour trips around Sark, allowing you to explore the bays, coves and secrets caves - and with them, a variety of birds. In season, this includes puffins, guillemots, razor-bills and cormorants. There is also the chance of seeing some of Sark’s other sea life, such as dolphins, seals, sunfish and even basking sharks.
The boat is licensed for a maximum of 12 people and pre-booking is advised. Departures are from Creux Harbour, the original fishing port on Sark. Charters are also available, for a fully flexible trip, whether you're keen on an early morning outing or a late evening cruise.
Alderney Wildlife Trust offer seabird boat trips with a specialist guide to view the gannets on Les Etac and the puffins of Burhou, as well as other seabirds. The amazing diversity of marine life is coupled with strong tides and a dramatic backdrop of Alderney's coastline, creating an unforgettable seabirds tour. The Trust also offer bespoke guided bird walking tours tailored to your requirements.
Please note that the boat is licensed for a maximum of 12 people and pre-booking is advised. Departures are scheduled on a Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, between March and October - although extra tours can be run for groups over six people.
Avante, also based in Alderney, offer island tours which take in the puffins on Burhou and the gannets on Les Etacs. Their 12-person boat also offers other charter trips, including a 1-hour evening trip to Burhou to see the puffins. Booking is advised.
Where can you go birdwatching on the Islands of Guernsey?
Birds can be seen all over the islands, from the woodlands, wetlands and valleys, to the beaches of Guernsey and the rocks off Herm.
Here are some of the most popular sites to get you started:
- Alderney Bird Observatory
- Barras Lane
- Camp du Roi
- Castel
- Chouet
- Colin Best Nature Reserve
- Fauxquets Valley
- Guernsey Airport
- Jaonnet Bay
- La Claire Mare
- La Donneuse
- Le Gouffre
- Le Grande Pre
- Le Guet
- Les Etacs, Alderney
- Les Banques
- Les Martins
- Lihou Island - Guernsey’s first RAMSAR site with more than 150 species of birds waiting to be spotted
- Longis Bird Hide, Alderney
- Mannez Bird Hide, Alderney
- Pleinmont
- Quanteraine Valley
- Saints Valley
- Saltpans
- Saumarez Park
- Silbe Valley/Reserve
- St Martin's
- St Sampson
- St Saviour's Reservoir
- Talbot Valley
- Torteval
- Vale Pond
- Vingtaine de l'Epine
For even more information about our RAMSAR sites and nature reserves, read this blog.
What birds are found on the Islands of Guernsey?
Over 200 species of bird are spotted annually across our islands. Some are found here all year round, whilst others stop by during the spring and autumn migrations.
Some of the species you can expect to see are:
- Blackbird: Blackbirds are incredibly common and are one of the most widespread resident species in the Islands of Guernsey. They are a familiar sight in gardens, woods, parks and farmland.
- Blue Tit: A common resident to all of our islands, blue tits are found in most gardens and often stay here all year round. Great tits and long-tailed tits also visit us regularly and are seen in all sorts of habitats. Coal Tits have also been spotted before, last recorded in 2022.
- Chaffinch: Chaffinches are very common in the winter and can often be found congregating in large flocks in weedy fields and other seed-rich areas. Bullfinches, greenfinches and goldfinches are also frequently spotted.
- Ducks: Mallards are residents in many of our parks, ponds and wetlands. On a visit to Saumarez Park, you will see hundreds of them in the ‘Duck Pond’ on the main field. Venture into the Japanese-style pavilion to get a closer look. We also get shelducks, wigeons and tufted ducks visiting, but these are not so commonly spotted.
- Gannets: The gannet colonies of Les Etacs and Ortac, situated just 100m from Alderney’s coastline, account for 2% of the world’s gannet population – a truly spectacular sight which can be seen during a boat or walking tour. The rocks are home to nearly 6,000 pairs of Gannets from February-September every year. Visit the Giffoine to get a look at these majestic birds. A telescope and a bench are on the site to enable visitors to take their time and have a closer look at the colony.
- Gulls: Our island beaches are incredibly popular with a wide range of gull species, especially in the summer. The most common types are the lesser black-backed gull, black-headed gull, herring gull and great black-backed gull, but we also receive visits from the common gull, Iceland gull, little gull, yellow-legged gull, sabine’s gull and Mediterranean gull.
- House sparrow: House sparrows are common in all the islands of the Bailiwick, and are found in gardens, parks, farmyards and other seed-rich environments.
- Magpies: Regularly spotted in all of the Islands of Guernsey except Alderney, magpies are most common in agricultural areas and along the south coast cliffs - although you will see them in most habitats.
- Puffin: Between mid-March and July, a vast number of puffins flock to our islands to breed. Instantly recognisable by their black and white feathers, stocky build and brightly coloured beaks, they are often seen on the rocks off the coast of Herm and Alderney. To get a closer look, take a trip around the coasts of Herm and Jethou with Island Rib Voyages or join Outdoor Guernsey on a kayak puffin-watching trip from Shell Beach on Herm.
- Robin: The robin is a resident bird of our islands and can be found in most habitats, particularly gardens, wooded valleys, coastal scrubs and hedges around agricultural land.
- Oystercatcher: There birds (pictured above) are common around the Island in winter and summer
- Rock Pipit: Spotted on all of our islands all year round, Rock Pipits breed on many of the smaller islets, including Les Burons and L'Etac de Serq in Sark, as well as several of the larger humps off Herm, low-lying sandy areas and the cliffs of Guernsey.
- Short-toed Treecreeper: A resident in all of our islands, short-toed treecreepers regularly breed in woods, parks and large gardens, usually where there are large trees. In Guernsey, the majority of sightings come from the Fauxquet, Talbot and Quanteraine valleys, the south coast woods and Saumarez Park.
- Song Thrush: The song thrush is a common species, found in gardens, woods, agricultural land and in coastal areas. In autumn, from September to November, migrant birds pass through the islands, with a few wintering here. Very few pass through in spring.
- Wren: Wrens are one of the most common and widespread birds on all of our Islands. they occur in most habitats but are most commonly spotted in coastal and inland scrub.
More information
To learn all about the wildlife found on the Islands of Guernsey, read this blog.
Read this blog if you want suggestions for more of the best sights to spot wildlife on our islands.
