Best Time to Visit
Harper’s Island Wetlands is not a zoo or wildlife park so apart from having a great time with nature we cannot guarantee anything ahead of your visit. There is always something to see on a visit and the more you visit the more you will see. During the spring and summer look out for flowers and insects along the nature trail and also breeding birds such as the Swallow, Stonechat and Meadow Pipit. To increase your chances of seeing lots of birds from the viewing hides the best time to visit is an hour either side of hide tide between July and March. The number of birds seen during a very high (spring) tide visit can be particularly impressive. During the winter months you can often find plenty of birds on the wetlands at any time, particularly when water levels are high after periods of wet weather. If a Peregrine Falcon has been hunting, it may have frightened the birds off the island, but they will usually return after a short period.
It is worth checking out the tide times when planning a visit with tide tables for Cork Harbour, e.g., https://www.tidetimes.org.uk/cork-city-tide-times
For the most comprehensive up-to-date lists of birds seen at Harper’s Island Wetlands check out eBird https://ebird.org/hotspot/L4227847