Findhorn Bay offers superb birdwatching opportunities throughout the year, including the spectacular migratory Osprey from March to September each year. In the autumn, winter and spring, thousands of Pink-Footed Geese, on their way to and from their breeding grounds in Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland, and also Greylag Geese from Iceland, roost and feed on Findhorn Bay.
Depending on the time of year, in certain parts of Findhorn Bay you will also find the Red-listed Curlew, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Common and Velvet Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck and Slavonian Grebe, as well as many Amber-listed birds, such as the Whooper Swan, Shelduck, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Eider, Oystercatcher, Knot, Sanderling, Black and Bar-Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank, Great Northern Diver, Turnstone and the Snow Bunting. Green-listed birds include the Golden Plover, Red-Breasted Merganser, Red-Throated Diver, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron and the Little Auk. Less commonly sighted wading birds are listed here.
Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve’s website contains a wealth of other information about resident and migratory birds of Findhorn Bay, collected by local ornithologist Richard Somers-Cocks.
There is a bird hide on the Eastern side of the Bay. The hide is signposted on the left-hand side of the road as you drive from Kinloss to Findhorn on the B9011. Some say that the hide is not very well located for decent birdwatching, as it is situated too far back from the shore. Hence, you may need to move to other locations on the Bay in order to get some decent bird action!
Recent Findhorn Bay bird sightings and other local ornithological information can be found on the website Birds in Moray and Nairn.