coastal birdwatching trail
Cleethorpes Seafront Birding Trail
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes seafront's location and variety of habitats make it attractive to numerous species, especially migrating and over-wintering shorebirds. Habitats include intertidal mudflats, beach, sea, dunes, saltmarsh, scrub, copse and freshwater - all in close proximity.
getting here
The railway station is located at North Promenade on the seafront and is the end of the line for Northern services from Barton-upon-Humber and First Transpennine services from Manchester via Sheffield, Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Grimsby. The main approach roads to Cleethorpes are the A180 and the A16. Ticket machine parking sites are available on the promenade or at nearby car parks, but these tend to fill quickly during bank holidays and between July and September.
dog access
Dogs are banned on the beach between Good Friday and September 30. To reduce the chance of disturbance to feeding and roosting shorebirds, it is recommended that they are kept on leads outside this period.
Winter species
Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Purple Sandpiper, Little Egret, Snipe, Peregrine, Shelduck Pochard, Kingfisher, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Snow Bunting, Stonechat.
Spring species
Wheatear, Whimbrel (calling overhead), Migrating Warblers including Lesser Whitethroat.
Summer species
Skylark, Linnet, Greenfinch, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler.
Autumn species
Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Yellow Wagtail, migrating Swallows, Martins and Swifts.
plan your visit to cleethorpes seafront
useful hints and tips
Ross Castle provides an expansive view over the Humber Estuary towards Spurn Point, but a 'scope is advisable for best views of birds on beach or water.
At high tide, the whale's tail rock armour sea defence at the northern end of North Promenade is a good place to see resting/roosting herring/ black backed gulls and various shorebirds, particularly turnstone but also occasionally purple sandpiper.
The saltmarsh fringes provide all-year habitat for skylarks and pipits and hosts winter populations of curlew, redshank, snipe, yellowhammer and reed bunting plus occasional visits from kingfisher. Because of the deep mud and steep gulleys, it is unwise to try to walk across the centre of the marsh, but there are readily-negotiable paths along its edges.
The adjoining sand dunes, with their marram grass and buckthorn scrub attract migrants such as wheatear and whinchat plus, in winter, parties of snow buntings.
Managed by the council, the foreshore nature reserve between the leisure centre and Buck Beck outfall plantation, is alive with the sound of songbirds, including various warblers, in late spring and summer.
Also managed by the council, the adjacent boating lake has its own 100-strong flock of non-migratory barnacle geese and similar numbers of domestic greylag geese and mallard (many of them hybrids). In late winter, visitors include pochard, tufted duck and the occasional goosander or goldeneye. There is also a healthy breeding population of moorhens and often a visiting heron.
Along Central Promenade between the lifeboat station and the pier are various green spaces whose range of mature trees and shrubs are home to garden-type species such as robin, dunnock, wren, goldfinch and blackbird, plus pied wagtail and the occasional warbler on passage.
facilities
Cleethorpes currently has no tourist information centre though maps and some other visitor literature are usually available from the library (closed on Friday and Sunday) on Central Promenade. Other facilities are of the range to be expected in a seaside holiday town including WCs, cafes, pubs and shops.
