A lot of people come to the Northwest to see Puffins. But it is not easy to catch a glimpse of them, they are shy little critters. What many people don’t realize is, that they are migratory as well. They only come to Ireland for their breeding-seasons, the early birds arriving in April, and the last lazy ones leaving again in July.
That means: You can’t see them between August and March.
That might be the reason many people never saw a Puffin in Donegal (or anywhere else in Ireland): you need to look out for them in the right place at the right time.
Your best chance to catch a glimpse of them is in the most remote places. They need to be steep and rocky and straight above the sea as well. There are two places in Donegal where you would have a really good chance to see the colourful little muckers: the cliffs of Horn Head near Dunfanaghy and Tory Island.
Apart from that, there is a fair chance to observe the birds in neighbouring County Sligo: the coastline between Belderrig Beg and Ross Port hosts a couple of small colonies. If you look at the map, you get an idea why: it is pretty hard to get there.
“Our” Donegal-spots are easier to get to, but it still takes effort – and luck. Here is a lot more info about those shy birds.
And here is some input from the Facebook-Group “Wild Atlantic Way”, where people share photos and tips (if you are not locked into Facebook you need to allow showing of Facebook-content and reload this page to see the pictures):
