birding...

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus ©Pete Hadfield http://www.manxbirdphotography.co.uk

The Isle of Man is situated in the northern part of the Irish Sea virtually equidistant from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The Isle of Man is a place known to many, but visited by comparatively few - yet by plane (35mins from Liverpool) or fast Seacat (2hrs from Heysham); the island is easier to get to than many people may think.

The island is 51km long and up to 21km wide. There is a remarkable variety of habitats bringing with it a rich and diverse range of bird species.

Specialities of the Isle of Man are the Chough (with a population of c250 birds); the Hen Harrier (with Western Europe`s largest winter roost of up to 120 birds) and a healthy population of Peregrine Falcon. The eponymous Manx Shearwater once bred in huge numbers on the Calf of Man, before being wiped out by rats. An extensive pest control programme has now resulted in small numbers of Manx Shearwaters breeding on the Calf once more.

The Island is dominated by two ranges of hills, clad in heather or grass moorland which rise to 621 m. at Snaefell in the north and to 483 m. at South Barrule in the south. There are flat, but ornithologically valuable lowlands in the north (which include the Ayres and Ballaugh Curragh) and the south-east with the Langness peninsula. The coastline is mostly composed of slate cliffs, interrupted here and there by sandy bays and tiny shingle coves. In the north there are sand dunes which separate the lowland heath of the Ayres from the sea, while across the narrow Sound off the south-west point of the main island is a hilly islet, the Calf of Man, site of an important Bird Observatory administered by Manx National Heritage (MNH).

Well-marked long distance footpaths explore almost the entire coast, providing frequent opportunities of seeing such Manx specialities as Peregrine, Chough and Raven. Fulmar and Shag are widely distributed but there are only four Cormorant colonies.

A few of the more spectacular cliffs have Kittiwake and Guillemot colonies, while there is a good scatter of places where Black Guillemots nest. Stonechats are common on the gorse and bramble scrub which is such a typical feature of the steep coastal brooghs - a Gaelic word for the grassy slopes which lead down to the sea. Except for the height of the summer, parties of Purple Sandpiper can be found at several well-established sites on the rocky coast. Little Tern, with as many as seventy pairs in some years, are the most important breeding birds of the Ayres shore.

Getting Around

The road network enables the serious birder to get to all the main sites with ease. Cars may be hired from the airport or sea terminal, otherwise the bus service is excellent - allowing many good birding sites to be reached easily, or there are taxis. There is also a historic network of steam railway and electric tramways. There are many good places on the Island to see birds. Some of the very best are listed below:

Getting there

The Isle of Man can be reached by boat (from Liverpool and Heysham year round, and from Belfast and Dublin during the summer only). The operator is the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company - Tel: ++44 (0) 871 222 1 333; http://www.steam-packet.com

Scheduled air services to Ronaldsway Airport, just outside Castletown in the south of the Isle of Man, are provided by a number of companies from airports around Britain and Ireland. See the current list at: http://www.visitisleofman.com/travel/operators.aspx?id=1.

This page brought to you in association with:
Manx Bird Atlas

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