Cornwall's wild coast

As we begin to head into spring and warmer times appear on the horizon, it’s a great time to get out along the Cornish coastline and spot wildlife. In the early months of the year, you often find you have some of the most beautiful parts of Cornwall all to yourself. This can make the sights and sounds of the abundant wildlife around you much easier to pick out.

The north coast with its crashing waves and wild coastline can be exhilarating in winter. Wrap up warm and get out with a warm flask and a pair of binoculars.

As a member of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, we asked Becky Payne, Content Marketing Officer at the trust to highlight the animals you can see on a trip to Cornwall. This is their pick of what you can discover.

Scanning is the best way to spot these incredible animals out at sea, either with or without binoculars. In ideal conditions the blow is the best sign to look out for, released as they exhale at the surface; in humpback whales the blow is bushy and around three meters high. Occasionally they are even seen coming into shallow in-shore waters at this time of year.

Since then, conservationists have been working hard to protect these birds and give them the best chance to flourish in Cornwall again, and they can now be spotted along this area of coast. Part of the highly intelligent crow family, these birds are shiny black and easily identified by their red bills and legs. Look out for them along grazed clifftops, and listen for their “Chee-ow” sound.

Also along this stretch, keep your eye out for diving peregrines – the fastest bird - and nomadic Fulmars, nesting in colonies on cliffs or flocking to feed out at sea.

Common species to look out for are the Beadlet anemone, Common prawn, Celtic sea slug and Limpets. Shore crabs, Shannys, Montagu’s blennys and Gem anemones can also be spotted with a bit of patience.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Cornwall Wildlife Trust work daily to create a Cornwall where nature thrives. We host the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and encourage anyone to submit wildlife records of the sightings you encounter, whatever your experience and no matter how common or widespread the species. Your records will help improve our understanding of the natural history of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

If you would like to support our work, please donate to our Ocean Emergency Fund, which makes core marine projects possible so that we can look to the future with greater hope for Cornwall’s seas, funding a varied range of marine work.

Proud supporters

As our chosen charity partner, Cornwall Wildlife Trust was nominated by our team. We provide financial support and help spread awareness of conservation projects. Read more about our values on our impact pages

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