Ireland has a wide variety of birds that live on or close to aquatic environments. In Galway alone, many different species can be spotted on lakes, rivers, and the surrounding coastline. These birds live on an array of food sources, such as small fish, marine worms, crustaceans and molluscs, which can be found abundantly in various watery ecosystems around the country.

Coastal cliffs provide breathtaking scenery and a sense of untamed nature, and suitable ledges for nesting are vital habitats for seabirds such as Gannets, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars. Cliff tops and grassy slopes offer homes for Puffins, Storm Petrels and Manx Shearwaters, where they can excavate burrows. Inishbofin provides many scenic breeding areas for Gulls, Terns and Guillemots, and the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare is famous for its breeding seabird populations.

Puffin
This endearing seabird breeds in grassy cliff top burrows in places scattered around Ireland’s coasts, and usually nests in large colonies. They have mainly black upperparts with a dusky white face and white belly. Legs are orange-red with webbed feet, and a huge flattened beak is marked with red, blue and yellow colours, giving it an unmistakable appearance. Puffins feed on a wide variety of marine prey, with sand eels forming an important part of their diet during the breeding season; they can often be seen returning to burrows carrying several of these fish in their large bills.

Gannet
The Gannet is Europe’s largest seabird and feeds on fish by plunge-diving from up to 30m high with half-folded wings. They have a distinctive flight silhouette with long, narrow wings and a cigar-shaped body. Plumage is white, with black wingtips and a yellow tint to the head. In strong winds, the Gannet glides on stiffly held wings but in calm conditions it uses deep, powerful wingbeats. They breed in colonies mainly on offshore islands such as Clare Island in Co Mayo. and during the summer, the island cliffs of the Skellig Rocks, Co Kerry are home of Europe’s largest gannet colonies. Over 22,000 pairs nest on the Little Skellig alone.

Kittiwake
This slender-winged gull has similar plumage to the Herring Gull but is much smaller and is without spots on its black wingtips. Juveniles are striking in flight with black zigzag markings on upperwings, black nape band and black tip to tail. They spend their non-breeding period entirely at sea, and are confident in flight even in the roughest weather. It nests colonially on precipitous cliff ledges overhanging the sea. Their names originate from the loud kittee-wake kittee-wake calls they make from the cliffs.

Guillemot
This is a common Auk among larger seabird colonies, such as those on the Great Skellig Rock. Where cliff ledges are suitable, hundreds or even thousands sometimes stand side by side. It has a dagger-like bill and can be recognised in the summer by its chocolate-brown head and upperparts, and white underparts. The Guillemot lays a single pear-shaped egg, sometimes on the narrowest of ledges, and can dive spectacularly in search of small fish.

Rocky shores are home to a variety of seabirds such as turnstones and sandpipers, and sandy shores, such as that of Galway Bay, make great feeding grounds for Oystercatchers and Sanderlings. Gulls and Terns are a common sight on the seashore. The Herring, Common, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls are resident breeding birds of sea and coast. The Common, Arctic, Roseate, Little and Sandwich Terns visit Ireland during the summer, and feed for fish by plunge-diving into the water after hovering mid-air.

Nimmo’s pier, situated in the Claddagh, is well known for its Mute Swans, and Iceland, Mediterranean and Glaucous Gulls can be seen during the winter. Lough Atalia, a narrow finger-like inlet in Galway Bay, also plays host to many species during the winter, such as Shelduck, Scaup, Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser, and waders like Redshank, Greenshank and Curlew can also occur. Rusheen Bay, situated a few miles to the west of Galway City, is a shallow, sheltered inlet, and provides ample opportunities to watch birds typical of Galway’s shoreline.

Herring Gull
This familiar noisy bird is generally the most numerous large gull species and common around Irish coasts. The adult has a blue-grey back and upperwings with white-spotted, black wingtips, and its bill is yellow with an orange spot near the tip. Juveniles acquire adult plumage with successive moults over 2 years. Herring gulls follow boats and can become bold when regularly fed. The glaucous gull is very similar in colour except for its white wingtips.

Oystercatcher
These distinctive waders feed on dense beds of shallow-burrowing common cockles and mats of common mussels. They have a distinctive black and white plumage with white wingbars seen in flight, long pinkish legs and a stout red bill. Often to be spotted on the Salthill strand at low tide in small flocks.

Turnstone
This unobtrusive and well-camouflaged bird is common on many coasts. Its winter plumage is variably marked with black, brown and white on the upperparts and usually shows clear demarcation between a dark breast and white underparts, and the legs are reddish orange. It has a short triangular bill, which is very effective when turning stones and tideline debris in search of sandhoppers.

Little Tern
This small tern is relatively scarce. After migrating from its African wintering grounds in spring, it likes to nest in small colonies on offshore islands on the west coast such as the Aran Islands. Their main habitat requirement is a shingle beach relatively free from human disturbance. It displays a buoyant flight and frequently hovers before plunge-diving into shallow water for small fish and shrimp.

Flowing water in Ireland’s countryside attracts many wonderful bird species. The river margins are often cloaked with vegetation that may provide a haven for nesting birds, and various waterfowl species are a common sight on the open water of Ireland’s lakes. Kingfishers and Little Grebes favour small lowland streams, while larger rivers such as the River Corrib may support populations of Mute Swans, Mallards and Grey Herons.

Lough Corrib in Co Galway is the second largest lake in the country, and birds like the Common Sandpiper, Great-crested Grebe, Redshank and Ringed Plover will breed near its margins. Large concentrations of Tufted Duck, Pochard and Coot occur in winter, and flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover can also be seen. The nearby Rostaff Lake supports a large flock of Greenland White-footed Geese and smaller numbers of Whooper and Bewick’s swans, as well as ducks like Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler.

Grey Heron
This is a familiar long-legged wetland bird. The adult has a dagger-like yellow bill and a black crest of feathers. It is often seen standing motionless for lengthy periods on its long yellow legs, with its long neck often in a hunched ‘S’ shape. It will occasionally actively stalk prey, pacing slowly through the water, stabbing the odd eel or frog that comes its way. The Heron favours river margins, lakes and marshes but will sometimes be seen on the coastline during winter.

Mute Swan
One of Ireland’s largest birds, easily recognized by its large size, white plumage, long neck and bright orange bill. They nest beside lakes and rivers, and can also in estuaries and shallow bays such as the Cladagh. Swans can be susceptible to lead poisoning from fishermen’s lead weights. They live in flocks during their early years and breed when they are 3 or 4 years old. Mute Swans mate for life, and pairs leave the flock in spring to seek out their own territories. Eggs take about 5 weeks to hatch, and there may be up to 9 cygnets, which are often seen following their mother. The male is called a cob and the female is called a pen.

Mallard
This widespread, familiar duck resides on a variety of wetlands, and is often seen on urban ponds and lakes where they are usually tame. The colourful male is very distinctive, with a yellow bill and green shiny head separated from a chestnut brown breast by a white collar. The female is more camouflaged, with a mottled brown plumage.

Kingfisher
This dazzlingly attractive bird has an unmistakable plumage, with an electric blue back and orange-red underparts. It is often observed in arrow-like low-level flight speeding along the river. It uses overhanging branches to watch for fish, and once a feeding opportunity arises, it plunges headfirst into water, catching its prey in its bill. The fish is swallowed headfirst, and is sometimes stunned by banging the head against a branch. It nests in holes excavated in the riverbank.

Estuarine habitats, found where rivers merge with the sea, can support a lot of birdlife. Waders and wildfowl feed in vast numbers from autumn to spring. They feed at low tide on the marine worms and tiny molluscs that thrive in the mudflats, which are in turn supported by the vast quantities of organic matter deposited by the river. Wading birds have differing bill lengths to allow different species to feed in the same habitat without having to compete for food.

Curlew
This widespread year-round resident has an extremely long downcurved bill to probe the sediment for worms and uses its long blue-grey legs to wade in deep water. Its plumage is mainly grey-brown with streaked and spotted underparts and a pale belly. It breeds on moors and wet grassland and marshes, and is found on estuaries, mudflats and sheltered coasts in winter.

Sanderling
A small wader, often found in higher energy estuarine environments where the shore is sandier. At a distance, winter bird looks very pale, and at close range it shows grey upperparts, white underparts, a black ‘shoulder’ patch with black legs and a short dark bill. It is invariably seen in small flocks running at great speed and feeding along the edge of breaking waves. The sanderling is usually tolerant of human observers.

Dunlin
This is an abundant flock-forming winter visitor to most estuaries and mudflats. Its bill is usually long and slightly downcurved, and in winter it has uniform grey upperparts and white belly.

Shelduck
This large goose-sized duck has distinctive markings, with a glossy green head and upper neck, with mostly white plumage except for an orange chest band and black on its wings. Legs are pinkish and the bill is bright red. It favours coastal habitats including estuaries and sheltered coasts where invertebrate food items are common.