Bird Watching In Pembrokeshire West Wales
Whether you just want to enjoy a bit of wildlife spotting with your children or your passion is bird watching, Pembrokeshire in West Wales is the ideal place to do just that.
As the days grow shorter, a host of different species of birds can be enjoyed – some are here all year round, some are just passing through on migratory patterns or here just for the winter months.
We’re lucky enough to have a number of varied habitats for birds near Croft Farm and Celtic Cottages. We have :
The coastal habitat of Cardigan Bay and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (which happens to be the UK’s only coastal National Park), with cliffs, rocky coves, sandy beaches and sand-dunes, plus of course the sea
The estuary habitat with reeds and mud flats. Locally there are the large Teifi Marshes where the river Teifi meanders down through Cilgerran Gorge, through the Welsh Wildlife Centre, then Cardigan, and onwards to Poppit Beach. There’s also the smaller Newport Estuary where the River Nevern runs below the popular white Iron Bridge, and down past The Parrog, onto the Traeth Mawr (big beach) of Newport Pembs.
The agricultural habitat which are ever present in this rural farming area, with the beautiful Pembrokeshire Banks between many of the fields (traditional stone/slate banks, which have been stuffed with soil, and become a diverse habitat for wild flowers, insects and birds)
The upland habitat with heathers, bogs, wiry grasses, and the rocky outcrops of the Preselis which run through Pembrokeshire
As you can imagine – with such diverse habitats in such close area, we have a huge range of different birds right through the year.
Some you might want to look out for in particular at this time of year include the hunting birds such as the Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin, and Short Eared Owl.
The beautiful Red Kite is a spectacular sight wheeling above the Cardigan Bay hills, especially given that they were brought back from the brink of extinction during the last century, when only a few breeding pairs remained. They are considered to be a great conservation success, and were voted the ‘Bird of the Century’ by the British Trust for Ornithology at the end of 1999 because of this success story.
Down on the marshy estuary areas you might enjoy seeing Kingfisher, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Little Egret, Curlews, Wigeon and a range of other ducks and waders. Also the rare Cetti’s Warbler can be heard (if not always seen!) at the Welsh Wildlife Centre between Cilgerran and Cardigan.
The coastal path can be an ideal place for spotting Chough, Skua, and Razorbills, and various gulls. Some good lookout places for watching seabirds include Strumble Head, and Mwnt – and you might be lucky to see seals too!
Also we have Fieldfare, Redwing, Lapwing, Golden Plover, and Skylarks aplenty.
If you want an updated list of what birds are being spotted out and about in Pembrokeshire check out this PembsBirds Blog
One thing is for sure – a visit to Pembrokeshire West Wales is a great opportunity get away from the crowds, get out into our beautiful and varied countryside, and be close to nature, whatever the weather.
