Habitats:

Western Inlet: Sandy beach & sandflat; Rocky shore with tidal pools.

Eastern Inlet: Exposed peat, Vegetated shingle/pebble beach; Saline lagoon; Saltmarsh.

Surrounding area of drained blanket bog/farmland: Wet grassland; Reedbeds; Ditch; Hedgerow; Maritime heath.

 

Flora & Fauna:

The plants and animals listed here are the ones most typical for these habitats and the ones you are most likely to encounter when visiting the area. The list is by no means complete and subject to ongoing observation and research.

 

Flora & Fauna Western & Eastern Inlet:

Birds:

• Turnstone (Arenaria interpres); winter visitor

• Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula); breeding resident and winter visitor

• Curlew (Numenius arquata); non-breeding resident and winter visitor

• Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostrelagus); resident

• Sanderling (Calidris alba); winter visitor

• Dunlin (Calidris albina); passage migrant

• Snipe (Gallinago gallinago); winter visitor / summer visitor

• Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandivicensis); non-breeding summer visitor – rarely seen

• Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna); resident

• Brent Goose (Branta bernicla hrota); winter visitor

• Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus); passage migrant

• Mute Swan (Cygnus olor); resident

• Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos); resident

• Little Egret (Egretta garzetta); resident

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea); resident

Invertebrates:

• Flat Periwinkle (Littorina obtusata)

• Flat Topshell (Gibbula umbilicalus)

• Thick Topshell (Osilinus lineatus)

• Common Limpet (Patella vulgata)

• Spider Crab (Maja Squinado)

• Lugworm (Arenicola marina)

• Sea Slater (Ligia oceanica)

Flora:

• Scurvy Grass (Cochlearia officinalis); F

• Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima); O

• Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum); O

• Glasswort (Salicornia europaea); O

• Sea Milkwort (Glaux maritima); O

• Sea Sandwort (Honckenya peploides); O

• Lesser Sea-Spurrey (Spergularia marina); O

• Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima); O

• Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum ssp. Maritimus); O

• Wild Carrot ( Daucus carota); O

• Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum); O

• Bittersweet/Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara); O

• Thrift (Armeria maritima); F

• Sea Aster (Tripolium pannonicum), O

• Frosted Orache (Atriplex laciniata), O

• Sea Beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. Maritima); O

• Annual Sea Blight (Suaeda maritima); O

• Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria); O

• Sea Mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum); O

• Cleavers (Galium aparine), O

• Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis); O

• Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris); O

• Sea Campion (Silene maritima); A

• Yellow Horned Poppy (Glaucium flavum); O

• White Clover (Trifolium repens); F

• Caloplaca marina; O

• Sea Ivory (Ramalina siliquosa); F

• Sea Club Rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus), O

• Common Reed (Phragmites communis); F

 

Flora & Fauna surrounding area:

Mammals:

• Irish Hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus)

• Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Birds:

• Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus); summer visitor

• Blackbird (Turdus merula); resident

• Stonechat (Saxicola torquate); resident

• Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis); resident

• Skylark (Alauda arvensis); resident

• Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus); summer visitor

• Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus); resident

• Raven (Corvus corax); resident

• Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax); resident

• Magpie (Pica pica); resident

Reptiles & Amphibians:

• Common Frog (Rana temporaria)

Invertebrates:

• Garden Snail (Helix aspersa)

• Brown Lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)

Flora:

• Bay Willow (Salix pentandra); F

• White Willow (Salix alba); F

• Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa); F

• Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus); O

• Bramble (Rubus fruticosus); F

• Common Heather (Erica cinerea); F

• Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens); O

• Rest Harrow (Ononis repens); O

• Common Vetch (Vicia sativa); O

• Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca); O

• Bush Vetch (Vicia sepium); O

• Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis); O

• Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium); O

• Silverweed (Potentilla anserina); O

• Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), F

• White Clover (Trifolium repens), F

• Tormentil (Potentilla erecta), O

• Hemlock Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), F

• Greater burnet saxifrage (Pimpinella major), O

• Pale persicaria / Redshank (Persicaria lapathifolia), F

• Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre), O

• Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), F

• Bird’s Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), F

• Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis); A

• Early Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata); O

• Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus); O

• Compact Rush (Juncus conlomeratus); F

• Soft Rush (Juncus effusus); F

• Hard Rush (Juncus inflexus); F

• Common Reed (Phragmites communis); A

• Glaucous sedge (Carex flacca); F

 

Abundance Key:

Dominant (D) – species that cover more than 2/3 of the habitat

Abundant (A) – species that that cover 1/3 -2/3 of the habitat

Frequent (F) – species that are obvious but don’t dominate the habitat

Occasional (O) – species with only few individuals in the habitat

Rare (R) – species with only one or two individuals in the habitat

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