This summer, Visit Isle of Man is encouraging tourists to come and visit the natural playground in the middle of the Irish sea, to spot some of the UK’s natural wonders including rare birds and wildlife.
The island, which is reachable by ferry or plane in as little as 30 minutes from the UK and Ireland, is the world’s only nation to be entirely marked as a UNESCO Biosphere, boasting unique flora and fauna. Home to an incredible array of species, the island has even been named the British Isles’ very own Galapagos.
Located in the gulf stream, its waters attract a variety of marine life, from the hundreds of seals around the Calf of Man, porpoises, whales and dolphins through to giant summer visitor, the basking shark.
Read on to find out more about some of the wildlife you can see on a trip this summer holidays:
Puffins
In 2021, Manx Wildlife Trust welcomed puffins back to the Calf of Man following a 30 year break since the bird bred on the island. To encourage visiting puffins, conversationists started a project in 2016 where they installed puffin decoys that were placed where puffins had historically nested. The birds may be seen bobbing around the sea or coming onshore on the Calf to join the decoys.
The Calf is uninhabited except for seasonal wardens at the bird observatory, which has been active for 60 years. But visitors can hop over on the boat to explore the haven for birds and wildlife and experience the wonderful conservation story.
Basking sharks
The Isle of Man is one of the best places in the British Isles to watch basking sharks up close. From mid-May until the end of August, you can see them feeding on plankton blooms at the ocean surface and, at up to 12 metres long, they are certainly easy to spot!
Popular spots are around the south and south west shores, and there are plenty of great vantage points to be found if you take the time to walk or cycle the coastal paths. Good viewing locations are the Calf, Niarbyl, and the headlands around Peel and Port Erin. You can also take a boat or sea kayak trip to get a closer view. The Manx Whale and Dolphin watch allow anyone to share their recent sightings of these magnificent sea creatures on their websites, so you know exactly where the best places to spot them are for your visit.
Risso’s dolphins
These unique dolphins and their calves can be seen in Manx waters in the summer months, with the best time to spot the dolphin between March and October. The Risso’s dolphin enjoys deep offshore waters, and the scratches on their bodies are believed to be a result of rough behaviour including fighting and catching prey. They are often seen around the Calf of Man and young calves are seen every year during the spring and summer.
Other marine species that can be spotted in the Isle of Man include Harbour porpoise, Bottlenose dolphin, Short beaked common dolphin and the Minke whale.
Wild wallabies
Wallabies have called the Isle of Man their home since a pair escaped from the Curraghs Wildlife Park in the 1960s. The species is now thriving on the island with numbers over 500. Visitors can head to the Curraghs in Ballaugh and follow its grassy trails to spot some wild wallabies in one of the only places outside of Australia!
Rare birds
The official British Bird Observatory on the Calf of Man makes the island a bird watcher paradise. Boasting a huge diversity of wild birds, it is one of the best places to see hen harriers. In fact, around five per cent of the UK’s harrier population lives on the Isle of Man thanks to its sparsely populated heather-clad hills that offer the ideal habitat for the harriers’ principal prey species. Visitors can head to the island’s only mountain, Snaefell, to spot one of the rarest breeding birds of prey in the country.
Dr Lara Howe, Marine Officer at nature conservation charity Manx Wildlife Trust, said: “The island is a jewel in the Irish sea for wildlife, whether that be marine or terrestrial. With its small size, it allows you to visit plenty of great locations and habitats, and see a huge variety of species without traveling miles to do so. One minute you can be on the coast watching the seals and the next you can be watching hen harriers in the hills. For holidaymakers wanting to reconnect with nature, without having to travel far to do so, the Isle of Man offers a nature haven away from the crowds.”
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