Hastings birding tours

Hastings is Wildstarts' favourite area for birding and we're excited to offer a special wild bird tour for those living in or visiting Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill and Rye.

A number of diverse birdwatching locations are within easy reach of Hastings, representing a range of habitats such as wetland, woodland, expansive farmland, clifftop scrub and river valleys.

This means it is possible to see up to 100 (sometimes more!) bird species in a day tour around Hastings.

Join us on a 1066 birding adventure — learn more about the possibilities below...

Hastings Birding Day Tour
Less driving and money, more birding!
Read more...
From 180 British pounds

A nature tour for everybody

Our Hastings Birding Tour can be adapted to provide the best experience for you, whether you're a target-driven birder or a more casual appreciator of birdlife.

Many families and groups of friends enjoy our tours as a way of spending time together in nature, seeing the outdoors with new eyes and learning along the way.

Focussing this tour on the Hastings area means driving time is minimised, leaving more time to enjoy the birds and giving the chance to take a lunch break in a hand-picked natural setting.

Hastings — a birding town

A stroll through the harbour town of Hastings and the beautiful seafront - Sussex - United

Hastings is steeped in ornithological history. Nestled in sandstone valleys on the south coast of England, it is in prime position for observing bird migration, and the forests and wetlands a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of town are home to many special birds.

Even within the town, sites such as West Hill and Alexandra Park are full of interesting birds and draw in birds looking for a rest stop on their long migrations. Ring Ouzels, Firecrests and Honey Buzzards are just some of the wild and beautiful species to make regular appearances in Hastings.

Nearby, Rye Harbour has a bustling colony of breeding terns, along with a host of nesting waders, warblers and birds of prey in the summer. In the winter, it supports thousands of wildfowl and waders, including shimmering flocks of Golden Plover.

The reedbeds in the area are home to the unique and charming Bearded Reedling, a strange and highly social species with no close relatives!

The Weald inland of Hastings plays hosts to rare birds of prey, including Goshawk and Hobby, over the forest canopy, while amazing finches such as Crossbill and Hawfinch feed in the hornbeam, beech and conifers.

Being a coastal town, the sea provides interest, too. You can expect to see rafts of Common Scoter, with a few Velvet Scoter mixed in, in the winter, alongside Red-throated Divers, auks such as Razorbill, and wintering grebes.

In spring, the bushes are alive with the songs of warblers such as Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Warbler, while Nightingales belt out their famous song from the thickets and Cuckoos announce themselves in river valleys, where a Kingfisher may dash past if we're lucky!

No two days are the same, and birding in Hastings is a case of expecting the unexpected!

Getting to us from London

You can easily reach Hastings from London by train, or we can discuss arranging private transfer — just mention on the service booking form, or the form at the bottom of this page.

You can look at train services at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Several London train stations offer direct services to Hastings:

London Gatwick Airport

Offers direct trains to Hastings taking as little as 93 minutes

London Victoria
   Offers direct services to Hastings (under two hours)

London Bridge
   Provides direct trains to Hastings, in as little as 83 minutes

London Charing Cross
   Offers direct services to Hastings, taking just over 90 minutes

We are very happy to help you find the right service.

More habitats, less driving!

As well as offering a budget-friendly tour option, our Hastings Birding Tour itinerary covers a small but highly productive area, meaning transit time between sites is kept to a minimum and we can spend more time in the field.

Habitats in and around Hastings include mixed forest, freshwater wetlands, coastal lagoons, clifftop scrub, sandstone cliffs and valleys, floodplains and sweeping arable fields.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Home to special birds

Ever wanted to see a Dartford Warbler or a Firecrest? Maybe tracking down a Hawfinch would make your day? Hastings is a great area to see these.

Honey Buzzard, Hobby and Goshawk are among the birds of prey that are possible in this raptor-filled area.

Little Tern and Mediterranean Gull can be seen alongside Little Ringed Plover, Whimbrel and other coastal species. In winter, there is instead the chance of Velvet Scoter and Black-necked Grebe, while Russian White-fronted Geese and Dark-bellied Brent Geese — from Siberia — graze in the fields.

For a splash of colour, we can look for Kingfisher and Bullfinch.

Autumn migration is spectacular, and standing on the clifftops can deliver amazing numbers of pipits, wagtails, hirundines, finches and thrushes.