In spring and summer many birds that spend the rest of their year at sea migrate to the coast to breed and raise their young.
This is our opportunity to admire them up close and watch their fascinating habits as they go about raising their young.
Eider duck
The male eider with its black crown, dashes of green and black and white markings is a large and imposing bird. The female is also big but well camouflaged with her dull brown plumage.
© Richard Allen
Eiders line their nests with their under feathers, which are fine and downy and provide excellent insulation for the incubating eggs. Eiders can breed all the way to the Arctic making the UK quite a southerly location for them.
Where to spot them:
- on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, in large numbers, where they are known locally as cuddy ducks
Cliff nesting birds
Hard cliffs with plenty of crags, crevices and ledges can come alive in summer as the home of many different cliff nesting birds.
Gulls
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Where to spot them:
- gulls like kittiwakes nest on the cliffs at Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland, and at Marston Rock near to Souter Lighthouse, Tyne & Wear
- common gulls (not widespread despite the name) live in a small colony on the low cliffs in Pegwell Bay, Kent
Guillemot and razorbill
Guillemots and razorbills, along with puffins, are members of the auk family. When breeding, guillemots dominate the cliff ledges of seabird colonies in summer, while razorbills favour crevices in the rock to nest.
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Both guillemots and razorbills are expert swimmers, making great use of their wings to power them through the water. In flight, their wings have to work much harder, beating ferociously to keep them in the air.
Where to spot them:
- nesting on the Pinnacle Cliffs on the Farne Islands, Northumberland
- in small colonies on the South Cornish and Pembrokeshire coasts
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Puffin
The brightly billed puffin might appear ungainly and comic on land, but at sea it is completely in its element, diving deep into the water to catch fish.
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Puffins are also good fliers and can cover large distances.
Where to spot them:
There are small colonies of puffins on:
- the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd
- the Farne Islands, Northumberland
- Dancing Ledge, Dorset
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Terns
Distinctive with their angular wings, long tails and sharp, pointed bills, terns are expert at flying and plunging down into the sea to catch fish.
Terns such as common and Sandwich terns like nesting on the upper parts of beaches and flat rocky locations. Both birds are spectacular fliers, diving into the sea to catch small sand eels and young fish to feed their young.
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Where to spot them:
- on Inner Farne, one of the Farne Islands in Northumberland, you can walk right past the nests of terns, and eiders
- Sandwich, Arctic and common terns breed from May to July on islands in Strangford Lough, Co Down
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Oystercatcher
Oystercatchers feed on mussels exposed at low tide, using their long red bills to hammer on the shells to split them. This big, handsome black and white bird is one of the few seabirds that can dislodge a limpet.
© National Trust
The female makes her nest among the pebbles and rocks above the high tide line. The eggs look just like the pebbles around the nest so are very hard to find, as are the speckled chicks.
Where to spot them:
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Ringed plover
Ringed plovers are dainty little waders that feed on minute shellfish and insects found on beaches. They nest on the sand in a small depression they have made called a scrape, usually above the high tide mark on a beach.
© Peter Brash
Ringed plovers are very vulnerable to extra high tides when their nests and eggs can be washed out. They are also pry to predators such as weasels and stoats, and to people accidentally treading on their nests and young. In some areas we run protection schemes where ringed plovers are overseen by wardens.
Where to spot them:
In early summer:
- on the Long Nanny, near Newton Links on the Northumberland coast
- Brownsea Island, Dorset
- East Head, Sussex
In winter, with other waders feeding on the shore and strandlines.
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Chough
Choughs are members of the crow family, but distinctive due to their shiny red bills and feet. They live near the coast, feeding on short grassland searching for insects and grubs.
© National Trust
Choughs are gregarious birds and are sometimes seen in large flocks, wheeling across the sky. They are great aerial acrobats and enjoy tumbling through the air in a playful dance with their companions.
Where to spot them:
- around coasts in West Wales near New Quay, Ceredigion
- the Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire
- the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd
- recently in Kynance on the Lizard, Cornwall, where a pair of birds has returned to a historic site
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Stonechat
The stonechat is a distinctive bird that looks spectacular in summer. When defending its territory the male will perch in a prominent location and make a warning ‘chat’ sound, like two stones being knocked together.
© Darren Robson
Stonechats can be found mainly in the South West and in Wales, along many sections of the coast path where there is rough scrubby heath.
Where to spot them:
- on the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd
- Exmoor
- West Cornwall
- the South Hams, Devon
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Skylark
Some songbirds are still common on the coast. Skylarks are known for their feat of continuously singing as they fly vertically upwards to declare their territories.
In May and early June, in the right places, there is a good chance that you will see and hear the song of the skylark, and be treated to a real sound of summer.
Where to spot them:
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