The Inishowen peninsula is renowned the world over for this activity, especially places such as Burt, Inch, Trawbreaga Bay, Loughs Swilly and Foyle and Banba’s Crown. Birds that nest on the cliffs of North Inishowen include the Shag, Guillemot, Fulmer and Kittiwake. The Fulmer looks like a seagull but is related to the Albatross which can be seen in its stiff wing flight. Fulmars were rare in Ireland but are thought to have benefited from the waste products of the fishing industry. An easy place to see Fulmars nesting is beside the car park at Dunree Fort Military Museum (where is also a small museum showing the wildlife of the peninsula). They can also be seen at Culdaff and at Malin Head. Rock Doves which are wild ancestors of city pigeons nest on ledges of sea caves. The Chough is a rare bird of the crow family slender red bill and red legs.



Another bird seen around the coastline is the Oystercatcher. These black and white birds with long red bills and legs have a distinctive "peep peep" call. A similar looking but much smaller winter visitor is the Turnstone which gets its name from its habit of turning over small stones in its search for small shellfish. Another small black and white bird is the Ringed Plover which is almost invisible among the beach shingle and pebbles until it does its distinctive burst of running, and when you move closer they then fly away in a flock.