Birdwatching North Wales Anglesey Day Trip

Birdwatching on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales

This is a one-day tour birdwatching North Wales on the beautiful island of Anglesey. This is one of our most popular guided North Wales Birdwatching day trips and is the perfect introduction to birding on the Isle of Anglesey at any time of year. We tour this beautiful island visiting the very best birding locations, including forest, estuaries, seacliffs and lagoons, where we will look for the special birds and mammals each of these varied habitats has to offer.

You can be sure of lots of birds and an exciting birdwatching North Wales experience at any time of year. Throughout the year we tour the best wildlife locations on Anglesey, looking out for the resident speciality birds including the charismatic Chough and Black Guillemot. In early summer, we will visit the busy seabird colonies and in autumn we'll keep an eye out for returning migrant waders. Winter brings its own excitement with flocks of wintering geese, ducks and waders.

At any time of year, we may encounter Atlantic grey seals, harbour porpoises and engaging red squirrels. Expect plenty of birds and other wildlife on this bird-packed, fun-filled, guided day trip to watch birds on the Island of Anglesey! A birding tour in Wales doesn't get better than this!

Our guided day trips in North Wales usually start at 8 am and we spend our morning visiting a number of different locations, the best sites for birds depending on the time of year, the weather and the latest bird news. This could include dramatic seacliffs to look for seabirds, or maybe a wetland reserve to look for breeding waders, or perhaps some sea watching off a coastal point.

We will take a break for lunch - we know all the best cafes on the island for a delicious snack lunch of local produce - and continue our birding in the afternoon, maybe visiting an inland freshwater lake, perhaps calling into an area of coniferous forest, or waiting by a vast marshy estuary to look for raptors coming in to roost. This birding tour in North Wales is incredibly varied and with our many years of experience, we know all the best places to visit for a wonderful birding experience.

Highlights of your day trip may include:

Visiting the bustling seabird colony at RSPB South Stack in season
The sights and sounds of Wales's biggest breeding tern colony in season
Flocks of hundreds of Lapwings and Golden Plover in the winter months
Great views of Pale-bellied Brent Geese over-wintering here all the way from their summer breeding grounds in Arctic Canada
A close encounter with an engaging red squirrel

We are certified 'Good to Go' by VisitWales.

Would you like to see what other day trips are on offer? Have a look at the Wonderful Waders Birdwatching Trip in North Wales.

Alternative Tour Name: The Very Best of Anglesey Daytrip

Day 1

Full Day Trip

Our itinerary on our set departure daytrip will be tailored to suit the time of year, the weather and tide conditions on the day, and the latest bird news. However, to give you an idea of how our daytrip may run, here’s a sample schedule for a guided Birdwatching Daytrip in spring.

We meet in Llandudno at 8am and continue on together from there. We drive along the North Wales coast and cross the Britannia Bridge onto the beautiful Isle of Anglesey, or Ynys Môn to give it its Welsh name.

We drive to the furthest point of Anglesey to the RSPB Nature Reserve of South Stack. The dramatic cliffs here are stunning at any time of year but in May, they are packed with breeding seabirds. Expect an assault on all the senses as we enjoy watching this busy seabird colony looking for Common Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Kittiwakes, Fulmar and more. Offshore, Gannets and Manx Shearwaters may be passing, and sharp eyes may even pick out a harbour porpoise surfing the tide race. Rock Pipits, Ravens and Red-billed Chough are other specialists of this superb area and as we walk a stretch of the coastal path, we can enjoy superb views of these birds. If time permits, we may visit a freshwater lagoon either before or after lunch, a great place for Great Crested and Little Grebes, Gadwall, Teal, Pochard, while the reeds throb with Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings

After a delicious lunch at a lovely seaside café, we head to a new destination on the north coast of Anglesey. Here is Wales’s largest tern colony so we can be assured of plenty of exciting birds to look for here. Sandwich Terns, Arctic Terns and Common Terns all breed here, and it is a good place to look for Mediterranean Gulls too. Looking offshore we have more chances of Gannets and Manx Shearwaters, while Turnstones and Ringed Plovers may potter along the stony shore and Atlantic grey seals bask on the rocks in the sunshine. A walk through the damp fields may give us some migrant species such as Northern Wheatears and with luck a glorious Yellow Wagtail.

It’s hard to tear ourselves away from this beautiful stretch of coastline but at the end of the day, we drive back to Llandudno by 5pm when the reserve closes.

Wildlife Reviews

5 stars

- based on 2 reviews

A Welsh day trip
Yvonne Longley16 Feb 2019
5
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Welsh day trip An early morning start on 16th February 2019, travelling to Llandudno to meet Alan Davies and Ruth Miller along with two other birders, for a “Best of North Wales” birdwatching day trip. It was a chilly and blustery day, but then it was February. With a fantastic start to the day with a Rose coloured starling, superb views. Then to head to Anglesey, where we caught up with Pale-bellied Brent Geese, lots of waders including Redshank, Curlew, Dunlin & Grey Plover. A short drive to Holyhead harbour to find Red-breasted Mergansers very close views & a couple of Black Guillemots also showing well. We headed to McDonalds (not for lunch) but to see Hooded crow, before breaking for a lovely lunch at a very warm and friendly cafe. Time to head back out and brave the conditions, not to be disappointed, we caught up with Long-tailed duck, Goldeneye, Lapwing, Goosander, Teal, Gadwall, Greylag and Canada Geese, Chough, Peregrine, Kestrel, we also had a brief stop at a Forrest and encountered lots of woodland birds. I can honestly say I had the most amazing day, so much so I booked another trip visiting another area of North Wales on the 27th February. Again seeing more fantastic birds. I can honestly say Alan and Ruth are fantastic and ensure a full, fun, day with so many species. Alan and Ruth cater for both new and experienced birders alike and for any beginner birder, don’t be afraid to ask as both Alan and Ruth are more than happy to explain. Definitely 10 out of 10 and really looking forward to my next trip, very soon.
Anglesey Daytrip
Jayne Westmoreland29 Jan 2019
5
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We headed out to Anglesey in a very comfortable 4x4, the weather was not at its best but then it was January! Throughout the day there were plenty of laughs and some great birds due to Alan and Ruth's expert guiding. We battled the winds and a hailstorm on the cliff side at South Stack but still managed to see some lovely Chough. We warmed up with a lovely lunch and then set off again. Not only special birds, but days to day birds as well kept coming as we went to many beautiful areas across the Island, Alan and Ruth know the area well and where to find the birds. There was a real highlight for me when Alan spotted a Merlin and we all had wonderful views. I hadn't seen one of these beautiful birds for quite a few years so I was really pleased. We ended our day on the edge of an estuary in the marshland, soaking up the wonderful surroundings and the sights and sounds of birdlife preparing to roost. A thoroughly enjoyable day.

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Why book with Birdwatching Trips?

Alan Davies and Ruth Miller have been running their popular birding tours in North Wales as Birdwatching Trips for over ten years. Alan is born and bred here and has written the definitive guide on where to watch birds in North Wales so nobody knows the area for birdwatching better than him. Ruth is a member of North Wales Tour Guide Association and in addition to the birdwatching, she is able to additional guiding to the best historical and cultural sites this amazing part of the country has to offer. We make a donation to the North Wales Wildlife Trust for every guest joining our tours so by booking with Birdwatching Trips, you know that you are also supporting the conservation of the very birds you are enjoying.

What are your group sizes?

We take a minimum of two and a maximum of six guests on our set departure daytrips to ensure everyone has the best possible experience on our trip. We always take our time to enjoy every bird we encounter and allow time for taking photographs too. Our Birdwatching Daytrips are perfect for everyone, whether you have just discovered the joy of birdwatching or have been birdwatching for many years. Sorry but we are not able to take guests under the age of 16 on our daytrips. If you would like a daytrip tailored just for you, please contact us about our custom birdwatching daytrips for one person or two people booking together and we'll be delighted to discuss this in more detail with you.

Do you need a minimum fitness level to join this daytrip?

Our daytrips are at a relaxed pace generally graded as Easy. Walks are on trails and footpaths which may have an uneven surface. You should be able to walk unaided at least a mile on rough or uneven surfaces. Please contact us if you have any concerns over your participation.

How do you support local communities during this daytrip?

We make a donation to the North Wales Wildlife Trust for every guest joining us on the tour so you know that you are supporting the conservation of the very birds you are enjoying. We also make a point of visiting local cafes for lunch during our tour to support the local community.

Can you book accommodation for us prior to the start of the daytrip?

We are happy to help with suggestions for great places to stay in Llandudno before and after the trip. We can offer a door-to-door service on the day for anyone staying in accommodation in Llandudno.

How do I pay?

We ask for a 100% payment upon booking. Please ask if you would like us to send you our Terms and Conditions.

What should I bring for this daytrip?

No matter what the weather forecast may say, we recommend bringing a waterproof jacket, waterproof overtrousers and waterproof walking boots just in case. Feel free to bring spare layers, hats and gloves, there’s always plenty of room for spare kit, clothing and equipment. And despite rumours to the contrary, it is often sunny in Wales, so don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.

Should we bring credit cards and/or cash?

Entrance fees are included, but our daytrips do not include lunch or any extra drinks or snacks so you will need to bring some cash or a credit/debit card for this. Some of the smaller cafes and tearooms that we visit may prefer you to pay in cash.