Finistere offers birdwatching opportunities all year round with large numbers of birds gathering on the coasts during winter and many passing through the area during the spring and autumn migrations.
There is a huge variety of habitats from cliffs to salt flats, sand dunes, canals and river banks, sandy beaches, estuaries and shingle bars, islands, upland heaths, ancient woodlands and open moors.

Ty Hir is also a great place to relax and do a bit of bird spotting. We have seen wrens, sparrows (both nesting in the stone wall), goldcrests, goldfinches, yellow hammers, chiff chaffs, greenfinches, song thrushes, great tits, blue tits, coal tits, long-tailed tits, buzzards, dunnocks, siskins, swallows, martins, swifts, bullfinches, starlings, cirl buntings and a marsh harrier just to mention a few!

If you are planning to do some serious bird watching during your trip to our gite we recommend " " by Stephanie Coghlan. It contains a checklist and list of French bird names, a booklist and references. We can also lend you some of our personal birding books during your stay.

La Baie de Goulven réserve ornithologique , on the north coast of Finistere about an hour from Ty Hir, is an important overwintering area for waders and geese. The bay is on the migration path of the Aquatic Warbler.

The Crozon peninsula has colonies of Red-billed Choughs and waders such as Sanderlings. The Cap Sizun Nature Reserve near Audierne has a marked footpath which takes you past breeding seabird colonies on the granite cliffs. You will also find Choughs hanging around the coastal path at Pointe Saint-Mathieu to the west of Brest.

L'ile d'Ouessant (Ushant Island) and the Molène archipelago form a large ornithological reserve. Over 400 different species of birds have been observed on the reserve during migration. You may be lucky enough to see Lapland Buntings, Rose-coloured Starlings, Siberian Chiffchaffs and Eastern European Warblers. Compagnie Maritime Penn Ar Bed provides ferry services to the islands of Ouessant, Molène and Sein every day, all year.

L 'île de Batz has a microclimate and is used by many birds on migration. A 15-minute boat ride from Roscoff, the Île de Batz (pronounced ‘ba’) is a hidden gem worth seeking out. The main attraction is its exotic garden but there are also some lovely beaches, leisurely walks and great views from the top of the lighthouse. provide trips to the isle from Roscoff.

La réserve ornithologique de la Baie de Morlaix is made up of seven small islets. It was was created in 1962 to protect puffins and terns. The reserve is home to France’s only colony of Roseate Terns and welcomes around 60,000 pairs of seabirds in winter. Boat trips around the islets in summer provided by Vedettes Armor . It is less than an hour's drive from Ty Hir.

The Sept Isles can be found off the coast of neighbouring Côtes-d'Armor. It is a nature reserve which is home to 27 different species of birds, the most well-known being the puffin. The archipelago attracts a phenomenal number of birds that otherwise rarely nest in France. From spring through to September, one side of the Île Rouzic turns white as snow with the sheer density of gannets that gather to reproduce. It’s the only place where these splendid marine birds nest in France. The puffins can be found on the islands from spring to July normally. Guillemots, fulmars, kittiwakes and manx shearwaters count among other of the many species that thrive here. There’s also a small colony of grey seals. You can join boat tours with Armor Navigation from Perros-Guirec to get close to the archipelago. It makes for an amazing sight to see the teeming bird metropolis. Sometimes, you’re allowed to land on l’Île aux Moines.  You must pre-book your trip.

On the uplands in the Monts d'Arrée you will find Hobbies, Curlew, Hen and Montagu's Harriers.

Grebes, ducks and herons can be found on the St-Michel reservoir as well other other inland waterways.

Grasshopper Warblers and Dartford Warblers can be found in the Reserve des Landes du Cragou north of Huelgoat in the Locarn moors, west of Carhaix Plouguer,as well as Willow Warblers.