The Isle of Wight (IOW) is situated about 3 miles off the South Coast of England.

Car (C) and Passenger (P) Ferries are as follows;-

Portsmouth to Fishbourne (C and P)
Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde (P)- Fast Catamaran,
Southsea to Ryde (P)- Hovercraft,
Southampton to Cowes(C and P)
Lymington to Yarmouth (C and P).

The Island is about 22miles E-W and 15 miles N-S a total of 147 square miles! (There are over 400mls of Footpaths!)
Apart from being a popular holiday destination, it also attracts walkers, sailors, naturalists and (increasingly) bird watchers.
Many varied habitats and the unspoilt nature of much of the Island make it an ideal spot for birds.
The RSPB has an active IOW branch and our first reserve is at "Brading Marsh",
(S. of Bembridge Harbour, towards Brading-no access yet so view from perimeter FPs)
The "Isle of Wight Ornithological Group" (I.W.O.G) has about 100 local members.
Generally the IOW is "Under Watched" often you have the place to yourself.

The best location, Newtown Nature Reserve is often deserted- even in summer.
At most times of the year you can expect to see about 50-85 species in a day visiting a good site/ or sites- depending on your expertise. (For a list of Good Sites see below.)
On New Year's day local groups spent the whole day birding, and regularly get over a 100 species! but this requires local knowledge, planning (and a bit of luck!) Totals for a year now exceed 200!
The best spots revolve around the estuaries and nature reserves-especially the National Trust areas of which there are many, mainly on the downs and coast.
Sea Watching is practised in the spring and autumn migrations, and Stormy weather.
The main site being St. Catherine's Point on the Southernmost tip of the Island, and "Fort Victoria" near Yarmouth.
Another good spot is "La Falaise" Car Park at the top end of Ventnor seafront, past "Spyglass Inn", (there are several shelters if wet)
Any headland will yield some seagoing activity though but the major movements tend to occur in early morning dying down by 10-11 am. Late afternoon (4-6pm) can also be good .
SE. Winds are the best. Rarities can be blown on-shore during very stormy weather.(eg Storm Petrel) Resident (breeding) birds include some rarer species such as Cetti's Warbler, Mediterranean Gull, Raven and Peregrine. A small population of Dartford Warblers and Stonechats.
Wheatear, Sand Martin and Spotted Flycatcher are scarce breeding birds nowadays
Spring and autumn migration brings all sorts of rarities; Raptors (Osprey, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite) Warblers, Sandpipers, various waders and Ducks.
In winter the wader and duck population reaches a peak and around the North coast Slavonian and other Grebes can be seen in the Solent together with Divers and Eider Ducks.
There are some birds you are very unlikely to see however. Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Tawny Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker are absent - despite the Island's closeness to the mainland
(Most birds can cross the Solent easily - it's a mystery why others don't.)
In compensation you will see others that are rare elsewhere. Little Egrets are everywhere, up to 100 Mediterranean Gulls can often be found at Foreland or Bembridge Harbour (Winter) or Newtown (Spring).
Peregrine, Raven, Dartford Warbler (now confined to Atherfield and Whale Chine), Curlew, Oystercatcher, and Redshank can be found all year round. Chiff Chaff (e.g. at Roud Sewage works) overwinter in good numbers, with occasional wintering Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper.
Winter also provides Purple Sandpiper at Foreland, Short Eared Owls and Marsh Harriers (Especially at Laundry Lane), and Crossbills,in Firestone and Parkhurst Forests, Siskin and Redpoll at Shide, Alverstone and Freshwater Causeway.
Small numbers of Brambling are seen most years, and Waxwing occasionally turn up.

Good Birding Locations on the Island

Refer to map for code letters.

Click the grid reference below for map of the area, then select a larger scale-see below (Maps are provided courtesy of www.streetmap.co.uk)

Map Ref (SZ),--- Description.

(NT=National Trust, FC= Forestry Commission, EN=English Nature, H=Public Hide, P=Park or Tourist Attaction), Regular birds, (rarities)

366854-"ADo"-Afton Down.(NT)

Stonechat, Skylark, (Shore Lark), Linnet also Pyramidal Orchids.

460800-"APt"-Atherfield Point.

Stonechat, Skylark, Raven, Peregrine, Merlin.

580855-"ANR"-Alverstone Nature Reserve.(H)

Reed Bunting, Stonechat, Yellowhammer, Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Hobby and Red Squirrels.

606923-"ApP"-Appley Park.(P)

Mistle Thrush, Treecreeper, Stock Dove,Goldcrest, Firecrest, Early Purple Orchids & Red Squirrels.

433843-"BDo"-Brighstone Down & Forest.(NT)

Dartford Warbler, Yellowhammer, Garden Warbler.

612873-"Bdg"-Brading (For Brading Marshes RSPB Reserve)

Marsh Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Hobby, Merlin, Peregrine, Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, (Garganey), Great Egret, Great-crested Grebe.

632887-"BHr"-Bembridge Harbour and Tide Mill causeway.(NT own Duver and Coast)

Mediterranean Gull, Little Egret, Redshank, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Brent Geese, (Goosander, Black Brant)

637882-"BPd"-Bembridge Ponds including R. Yar from Road Bridge- gives views over the RSBP Reserve.

Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper, Reed Warbler, Hobby, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Little Grebe, (Bittern)

570846-"BWd"-Borthwood Copse (NT-Ancient woodland)

Coal Tit, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Garden Warbler, Brambling

635855-"CDo"-Culver & Bembridge Downs.(NT)

Stonechat, Skylark, Fulmar, Peregrine, Buzzard, Kestrel, Wheatear, Whinchat, Ring Ouzel, (Dotterel, Wryneck)

495755-"SCP"-St.Catherine's Point.(NT Knowles Farm, Lighthouse and hillside bushes)

Stonechat, Yellowhammer, Black Redstart, Dartford Warbler. SEAWATCHING; Gannet, Fulmar, Skuas, Shearwaters, Terns, Waders etc.

558912-"FSC"-Firestone Copse (FC) and Wootton Lakeside.

Woodpeckers, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Blackcap, Woodcock, Nightjar, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Snipe, Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper,(Crossbill)

655874-"FLd"-Foreland (coast and clifftop fields).

Brent Geese, Waders esp. Purple Sandpiper, Little Egret, Heron, Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern, Wheatear, House Martin, SEAWATCHING; Gannet, Auks, Skuas, Shag.

338898-"FtV"-Fort Victoria.(P)-Sea Watching, woods and coast.

SEAWATCHING; Terns, Gulls, Gannet, Skuas, Osprey, Eider, Divers, Grebes.

345857-"FWR"-Freshwater Bay (NT Car Pk) & Marsh.

Stonechat, Skylark, Rock Pipit, Fulmar, Gulls, Peregrine, Raven, Black Redstart.

315852-"WHD"-West High Down. (NT-Tennyson Down to the Needles Battery)

Stonechat, Skylark, (Shore Lark), Linnet also Pyramidal Orchids.

306856-"HWN"-Headon Warren to Alum Bay Chine.(NT)

Stonechat, Whinchat, Wheatear, Raven, Peregrine, Pipits, Shore Lark, Short-eared Owl, Woodcock, Ring Ouzel, (Dotterel)

622884-"LLa"-Laundry Lane (for the best views of the RSBP Reserve at "Brading Marsh")

Harriers, Peregrine, Buzzard, Hobby, Ducks, Little-ringed Plover, (Green & Wood Sandpiper, Garganey, Spoonbill)

405844-"MDo"-Mottistone Down.(NT)

Linnet, Red-legged Partridge, Redstart, Whitethroat, Flycatchers, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Garden Warbler, Buzzard.

510920-"MED"-Medina Estuary (Dodnor(H) and Folly lake)

Mandarin, Peregrine, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Grebe, Mediterranean Gull, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, (Scaup)

423907-"NNT"-Newtown Nature Reserve.(NT & EN, H(2))

Waders, Winter Ducks, Geese, Terns, Mediterranean Gull, Shelduck, Peregrine, Osprey, Little Owl, Barn Owl, (Avocet)

540940-"OBB"-Osborne Bay. Private Beach- View from Fishbourne Creek.

Divers, Great-crested, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes, Red-breasted Merganser, Eider, Great-northern Diver

480900-"PHF"-Parkhurst Forest.(FC)

Nightjar, Woodcock, Long-eared Owl, Raven, Hobby, Butterflies, Dragonflies.

615923-"PkP"-Puckpool Point.(P) just East along Springvale, is Hersey Nature Reserve with public bird hide.

Red-Necked, Slavonian and Great-crested Grebes, Great-northern and Black-thoated Divers, Common and Velvet Scoter, Eider, Mediterranean Gull (Little Gull)

602926-"RES"-Ryde East Sands and Canoe Lake.

Bar-tailed Godwit, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Terns, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Grey Plover.

503881-"SBW"-Shide, for Shide to Blackwater footpath (an Old Railway line)

Siskin, Redpoll, Treecreeper, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Bullfinch, Garden Warbler, Cuckoo, Kingfisher.

460937-"TBa"-Thorness Bay and marshes.(P) Park at Thorness Bay Holiday Park (by Shop)

Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Terns, Wheatear, Cuckoo, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting.

574786-"VDo"-Ventnor Downs (NT-Boniface, Wroxall, Bonchurch Downs and Nansen hill)

Honey Buzzard, Osprey, Dartford Warbler, Wheatear, Whinchat, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Grasshopper Warbler.

357894-"YAR"-Yarmouth (Marsh(H) and Estuary) Park at the end of Victoria Road by the Old Station.

Ducks, Sandpipers, Cuckoo, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Sand Martin, Ruff, Little-ringed Plover,