Where to See Puffins in Ireland
Let’s head on a puffin pilgrimage as we discuss where to see puffins in Ireland, travelling to the Saltee Islands, Skellig Michael, and we might even meet some of these charismatic characters off the coast of Dublin!
Puffin • Puifín • Fratercula Arctica
Though puffins have a big character, they are the smallest member of the auk family that you can encounter in Ireland. People who see puffins for the first time sometimes comment on how they are smaller than they’d imagined they’d be. With a wing span of approximately 40–60cm, puffins are a little smaller than a pigeon. Though puffins have a very distinctive look, with their black back and head contrasting with a snowy white belly and face, and a colourful orange, yellow and blue bill and orange feet in the spring and early summer. Their colours fade distinctly in the winter when they are typically far out at sea. They also have a very distinctive call that they usually only sound at their burrows. It reminds me of a distant lawnmower starting up, or a tiny little Honda motorbike engine, ‘brrrRRRRRRrrrrr’.
Puffins feed on sand eels and other small oily fish. These wonderful birds can live to be more than 30 years old and they typically mate for life, returning to the same burrow year after year. Puffins are one of the most monogamous creatures on Earth! A study of the puffin colony on Skomer Island, Wales, discovered a ‘divorce’ rate of less than 8%. They usually stay with the same partner for life, and return to the same burrow to find each other every year. After they leave again in August the mating pairs go their separate ways, their bright beaks and feet dull and fade as they head out to spend winter alone on the storm-tossed seas, before the colour returns with the Spring as they head back to their burrows.
Puffins typically only raise one chick per year. The chick, or puffling, is usually a fluffy pale grey ball when newly hatched. It typically fledges near the end of the season and usually heads out to see by itself for three to four years, before it finds its own mate and burrow elsewhere.
You can read more about puffins on the BirdWatch Ireland website here, and you can find additional resources at the end of this article.
Best Time to See Puffins in Ireland
The puffins arrive on Irish shores towards the end of March, or very early April. It can vary a little dependent on weather and sea conditions. They generally leave towards the end of July and early August. In my experience, the best time to see puffins in Ireland is in the earlier part of the season, in late April and May. This is when they are typically spending a bit of time on land, getting reacquainted with their mates and showing off their wonderful colour. As the season progresses, the adults tend to spend more time either in the burrow incubating the egg, and after the puffling hatches, they spend a lot of time fishing to support the growing chick, meaning they are less likely to be visible on the ground.
As with all wildlife, nature does her own thing, and while this article will hopefully provide a useful source of information, it cannot guarantee that you will definitely encounter puffins at any of these sites on any given day. Even on the busiest colonies like Skellig Michael, they might decide to head out fishing en masse, or weather may keep them in their burrows.
Save Our Puffins!
How to meet Irish puffins safely and responsibly
It is vital that we all do our part to ensure the survival of our wonderful puffins. Sadly, as a species puffins have declined by 28% in Ireland (source). They are now a Red-listed bird of conservation concern, meaning it is vulnerable to extinction. Like all our seabirds, puffins face the potentially catastrophic risk of bird flu. They have also suffered from predation, particularly from rats eating their eggs and young chicks. Programmes to eradicate rats on the Saltee Islands have significantly helped in recent years.
An ongoing challenge is the pressure from overfishing of the small fish that they rely on to survive, like sprat and sandeels. While these small fish aren’t generally taken for human consumption, they are used to fuel the unsustainable salmon farms, for catfood or even fertiliser. This results in less food available, and the puffins may have travel further to find it, lengthening the time between feeds for the growing chick and impacting overall health. Irish waters are some of the most overexploited in the world (see here).
When the politicians come knocking at election time, please do raise this issue with them, and request that they support sustainable and wildlife friendly measures and the enforcement of marine protected areas.
Another key threat to puffins is through disturbance. They only lay one egg a year, so it is vital to allow them to do so undisturbed. Don’t bring dogs anywhere near nesting seabirds. And if you do get the chance to spend a little time in the company of these wonderfully charismatic birds, please do keep your distance and try not to cause any disturbance whatsoever.
Where to See Puffins in Ireland
Puffins can only be seen in Ireland during the breeding season between late March and early August. They nest in burrows that they excavate from the soft sandy soils near the edges of cliffs. They tend to seek out areas that are safe from mammalian predators, and that is why you’d mainly find them on islands. If you are in the area, keep an eye out for them in flight. Though they are undoubtedly capable and durable birds, they aren’t the most graceful of fliers, and often look a little like they are flapping away in a panic – and that can be a good way to spot them from a distance. They can be easily mistaken for razorbills or guillemots, so do keep an eye out for the telltale flash of orange from their feet or beak as the main giveaway.
With a preference for coasts and islands, puffins certainly have good taste when it comes to location – here are some of our favourite places to see puffins in Ireland:
The Saltee Islands • Wexford
The Saltee Islands are located about 5km off the coast of Kilmore Quay in Wexford. The larger of the two, the Great Saltee Island, is privately owned, and seasonally accessible to visitors. During the late spring and summer months, the island is teeming with birdlife, gannets, guillemots, razorbills, and more. And, of course, puffins! With the relatively easy accessibility and stunning scenery, the Great Saltee Island is one of the best places in Ireland to see these charismatic and colourful characters.
The Great Saltee Island is accessed by ferry from Kilmore Quay, Wexford, and you can find out more about how to visit it and what to expect in our free visitor guide and article.
The Cliffs of Moher • Clare
The Cliffs of Moher is one of Ireland’s most popular places to visit, and it can become extremely busy during the summer months. But it’s not just buzzing with people, it is also a haven for birdlife. The cliffs are home to over 30,000 pairs of seabirds during the nesting period from April to July. On a good day during the summer months, you’re likely to spot guillemot and razorbill, as well as kittiwakes, fulmar and puffins.
The puffins are challenging to spot here, they nest on Goat Island, a long thin promontory that juts out from the cliffs not far from the visitor centre. Your best chance to see them is in the early morning or early evening. You’ll need binoculars and a long lens to spot them, but it’s a truly spectacular place.
Read more about the Cliffs of Moher in our free visitor guide and article.
Skellig Michael • Kerry
For me, there are few places to compare with the awe-inducing island of Skellig Michael that lies some 12km (8 miles) off the coast of Bolus Head in County Kerry. Skellig Michael is home to a colony of between 7,000-8,000 puffins, and it is certainly the place where you will come closest to these wonderful birds. You’ll often find them happily sitting on the steps as you walk up. Otherworldly scenery, incredible archaeology and a large resident puffin colony. It really is Heaven on Earth! Read more about visiting Skellig Michael here.
The challenge with Skellig Michael is that so many of the boat journeys are cancelled due to it requiring fine weather conditions, so it is always good to have a backup plan in case you are unlucky. To help, we have a free Ring of Kerry itinerary guide that will help you to explore this incredible part of Ireland! Grab your copy here.
Rathlin Island • Antrim
The beautiful Rathlin Island off Antrim’s Causeway Coast has an archaeological heritage that stretches back as far as the Mesolithic. Evidence has been found to show that it was the site of a Neolithic axe factory. Much later, in AD 795, it would become one of the first places in Ireland to experience Viking raids.
Today it’s famed for its stunning natural heritage and is an important home to important seabird colonies, including puffins. RSPB NI keeps a close eye on when the first one lands onto the island, which is usually in the last week or so of March. The best place to see them on the island is at RSPB Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre, which is open from late April to early July. You’ll be at a little bit of a distance, but they are usually very visible around their burrow entrances in the grassier areas on the slope of the cliff.
Tory Island • Donegal
Set over 14km off the Coast of Donegal, and surrounded by the tempestuous waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Oileán Thoraí or Tory Island, is the most remote of Ireland’s inhabited islands. It is a beautiful place, with a community that is renowned for music and art.
The island has links to the great Donegal saint Colmcille, but it is also home to a colony of puffins. If you’re lucky you might meet them at the eastern end of the island, in the vicinity of Dún Balor (or Balor’s Fort). A prehistoric promontory fort named after the terrifying Balor of the Evil-Eye. To read more about Tory Island please visit our article and visitor guide here.
Ireland’s Eye • Dublin
Did you know that you can see puffins off the coast of Dublin? There is a small colony on the small island known as Ireland’s Eye, off the coast of Howth. Ireland’s Eye was once known as Inis Mhic Neasáin or the ‘island of the sons of Neasáin’. It is believed that St Nessan built a church here the ruins of which can still be seen today. Today the island is an important habitat for gannets, guillemots, razorbills, cormorants and a small number of puffins.
You can take a boat tour around Ireland’s Eye from Howth Harbour. There are a number of operators to choose from, with varied pricing from €15 upwards. If you’d like to explore more around the area, we have an exclusive itinerary for the historic Howth Peninsula and Ireland’s Eye available for Tuatha Members here.
Tips:
Photographing Puffins
While I am not a professional photographer, I do love trying to capture the colour, character and behaviour of these charismatic birds! I personally use my trusted old Canon 5D MkIII, that has been well battle-worn at this stage after years of visiting monuments all over Ireland. Though I’ve also managed to get good photos on my Samsung smartphone. As they say, the best camera is the one that you have on you.
To avoid getting too close and disturbing the seabirds, I use a Sigma 150–600mm lens. It’s a really good entry point for enthusiasts, as some zoom lenses can be extremely expensive indeed. I find the versatility of the 150–600 also gives great opportunities to capture images at a variety of distances and detail.
The puffins you encounter will either be on the ground, with relatively small movement or flying with very fast movement. So try to think about batching your photograph types, setting your camera up for one or the other scenario and focus on either flying or landed birds, before switching to the other scenario. That will stop you feeling like you are constantly tweaking your settings.
Photographing puffins on the Cliffs of Moher
with a Canon 5D III and a Sigma 150-600mm lens
For flying birds, shutter speed is the main consideration. Try setting your shutter speed between 1/1000 and 1/1600 of a second to freeze the moment in time. Though if you’d like a slightly dreamier picture, you can shoot slightly slower speed to blur the wings. For birds on the ground you can use a slower shutter speed. Anything around 1/250 to 1/800 of a second should be fine.
Generally speaking I like to try to keep it as simple as possible. So I’d often set the ISO to Auto, and set the aperture as large as it would feasibly go. This often creates a shallower depth of field, giving a nice effect with a sharp puffin and gently blurred background. When you set up along these lines, it means you just need to keep an eye on the exposure and trying to keep that balanced, rather than fiddling switching shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure all at once, and missing your shot.
When photographing puffins I set the camera to shoot in burst mode using a high frame rate. The drawback to this is that you will take a lot more pictures, so a decent sized memory card (at least around 64GB and up) is usually a good option.
Puffins can be challenging in some ways, as with snow white bellies, black backs and colourful beaks, there’s a lot going on there for a camera! And you also need to consider how to focus. The main aim is to capture full detail, you might find you end up getting the face in sharp focus but blurring the back or tail. So autofocus can sometimes let you down. If you’re more comfortable adjusting settings, consider going down a few stops to f/8 with a higher ISO, which should allow you to capture more focus overall.
It is important to always consider your overall composition. The rule of thirds is an ever-present rule for a reason! If possible, it is also worth trying to get low down on the ground so you’re more at eye-level with puffins (while maintaining your distance of course), this will give a much better proportion for your image. I typically always just save in RAW format, as it gives you more room to tweak afterwards.
Finally, experiment! I always take a lot of images, they don’t always work out, but if you follow some of the general pointers here you should have a lovely puffin portrait after your trip.
If you’re sharing your picture on Instagram or elsewhere on social media, please do tag us @TuathaIreland – I always love seeing pictures of puffins so it will make my day!
Using a long lens like a Sigma 150-600mm allows
you to get a close up without disturbing the birds
Tips: Photographing Puffins
While I am not a professional photographer, I do love trying to capture the colour, character and behaviour of these charismatic birds! I personally use my trusted old Canon 5D MkIII, that has been well battle-worn at this stage after years of visiting monuments all over Ireland. Though I’ve also managed to get good photos on my Samsung smartphone. As they say, the best camera is the one that you have on you.
To avoid getting too close and disturbing the seabirds, I use a Sigma 150–600mm lens. It’s a really good entry point for enthusiasts, as some zoom lenses can be extremely expensive indeed. I find the versatility of the 150–600 also gives great opportunities to capture images at a variety of distances and detail.
The puffins you encounter will either be on the ground, with relatively small movement or flying with very fast movement. So try to think about batching your photograph types, setting your camera up for one or the other scenario and focus on either flying or landed birds, before switching to the other scenario. That will stop you feeling like you are constantly tweaking your settings.
Photographing puffins on the Cliffs of Moher
with a Canon 5D III and a Sigma 150-600mm lens
For flying birds, shutter speed is the main consideration. Try setting your shutter speed between 1/1000 and 1/1600 of a second to freeze the moment in time. Though if you’d like a slightly dreamier picture, you can shoot slightly slower speed to blur the wings. For birds on the ground you can use a slower shutter speed. Anything around 1/250 to 1/800 of a second should be fine.
Generally speaking I like to try to keep it as simple as possible. So I’d often set the ISO to Auto, and set the aperture as large as it would feasibly go. This often creates a shallower depth of field, giving a nice effect with a sharp puffin and gently blurred background. When you set up along these lines, it means you just need to keep an eye on the exposure and trying to keep that balanced, rather than fiddling switching shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure all at once, and missing your shot.
When photographing puffins I set the camera to shoot in burst mode using a high frame rate. The drawback to this is that you will take a lot more pictures, so a decent sized memory card (at least around 64GB and up) is usually a good option.
Puffins can be challenging in some ways, as with snow white bellies, black backs and colourful beaks, there’s a lot going on there for a camera! And you also need to consider how to focus. The main aim is to capture full detail, you might find you end up getting the face in sharp focus but blurring the back or tail. So autofocus can sometimes let you down. If you’re more comfortable adjusting settings, consider going down a few stops to f/8 with a higher ISO, which should allow you to capture more focus overall.
It is also important to consider your overall composition. The rule of thirds is an ever-present rule for a reason! If possible, it is also worth trying to get low down on the ground so you’re more at eye-level with puffins (while maintaining your distance of course), this will give a much better proportion for your image. I typically always just save in RAW format, as it gives you more room to tweak afterwards.
Finally, experiment! I always take a lot of images, they don’t always work out, but if you follow some of the general pointers here you should have a lovely puffin portrait after your trip.
If you’re sharing your picture on Instagram or elsewhere on social media, please do tag us @TuathaIreland – I always love seeing pictures of puffins so it will make my day!
Using a long lens like a Sigma 150-600mm allows
you to get a close up without disturbing the birds
Where are your favourite places to see puffins in Ireland?
I hope you find this article helpful in your puffin pilgrimage! I’d love to hear how you get on, and what your favourite spots are to see puffins in Ireland.
We’d love to see your pictures – so if you manage to get a puffin portrait please do tag us on Instagram @TuathaIreland, for your chance to win a free 30-day Tuatha Membership.
Dig Deeper
There are a number of good sources to learn more about puffins in Ireland:
- I recommend BirdWatch Ireland (and consider joining as a member!)
- Hear the soundscape of puffins at Skellig Michael in this wonderful recording by Seán Ronayne of Irish Wildlife Sounds.
- Watch the excellent Kerry Tides of Time two part documentary on the RTÉ Player.
- Read the brilliant book ‘Seabird’s Cry’ by Adam Nicholson. Order from your local bookshop, or online, ideally from Irish bookshops like Kennys.ie
Dig Deeper
There are a number of good sources to learn more about puffins in Ireland:
- I recommend BirdWatch Ireland (and consider joining as a member!)
- Hear the soundscape of puffins at Skellig Michael in this wonderful recording by Seán Ronayne of Irish Wildlife Sounds.
- Watch the excellent Kerry Tides of Time two part documentary on the RTÉ Player.
- Read the brilliant book ‘Seabird’s Cry’ by Adam Nicholson. Order from your local bookshop, or online, ideally from Irish bookshops like Kennys.ie
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