Birding Factoids

393 species
in 51 families

None of the 5 European
endemics are
represented here.
No national endemics
15 speciality species
1 endangered species

Irish
Hotspots

....
For more general information on birding and birding organizations in the UK see the FatBirder's site
For photos of scare or rare Irish birds, see Tom Shevlin's Wildsnaps website
as well as Paul and Andrea Kelly's Irish Bird Images.
.......

Irish Specialities Hooded Crow - Photo copyright Harold Stiver

Photo copyright Harold Stiver

White-throated Dipper - Irish subspecies - Photo copyright Paul and Andrea Kelly
Photo copyright Paul and Andrea Kelly

Coal Tit - Irish subspecies - Photo copyright Paul and Andrea Kelly
Photo copyright Paul and Andrea Kelly

....Irish Birds - this site, maintained by Clive Hutchinson,

provides an overall "clickable" map to key birding hotspots in Ireland (under "Where to Watch Birds in Ireland"). Seperate sections also refer to specialized sites in Cork County, as well as the Cape Clear and Copeland Bird Observatories. See especially the Cape Clear Island information.

....Irish Bird Images - This page is dedicated to what a foreign birder

may need or want to know about a birding trip to Ireland. It provides a list of contacts and references which may be of use to you:-

....Birding in Ireland - Ireland is undoubtedly one of the most

exciting birding destinations in Europe. Although it possesses fewer breeding species than neighboring countries, it has relatively healthy populations of some species that are in serious decline elsewhere, such as Roseate Tern and Corncrake.

....RSPB Reserves in Northern Ireland - Our nature reserves

in Northern Ireland offer some outstanding birdwatching. The summer seabird spectacular on Rathlin Island - with guillemots packed on to cliff ledges and comical puffins nesting in burrows - is always a delight. The waterfowl on reserves such as Lough Foyle and Portmore Lough provide more excitement later in the year, as geese and whooper swans arrive to spend the winter. In the summer, many of Northern Ireland's nature reserves provide nesting grounds for snipe, redshanks and other wading birds.

....Birdwatch Ireland Reserves - BirdWatch Ireland maintains a growing

network of bird reserves around the country, all located in areas of conservation importance for birds.

....Outdoor Ireland - Birdwatching - from GORP. Ireland's location at the

western end of Europe gives it a special role in the lives of birds in every season, from breeding sea bird cliffs to viewing the spring migration. And, sometimes, a North American warbler or wader gets blown off course across the Atlantic to land on Irelands shores. Includes a section on where to watch birds in Ireland.

....Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust - Castle Espie - operated by the Wildfowl &

Wetlands Trust. These centres act as safe havens for thousands of internationally important wetland birds, forming a focus for WWT's unsurpassed scientific expertise.

....Birdwatching in Northern Ireland - Official Site of the Northern Ireland

Tourist Board. Directions are provided to birding sites in:

County Down
County Armagh
County Fermanagh
Lough Neagh
County Tyrone
County Londonderry
County Antrim
Belfast & Environs

....Birdwatching around Clonakilty Bay - Birdwatching around Clonakilty

Bay can be very rewarding. It affords easy access and viewing all around both estuarys and lagoons.

....National Nature Reserves (NNR) in Northern Ireland - There are at

least 50 very special places in Northern Ireland where you can study wildlife at close range and escape the pressures of life. These places allow you to get close to the secret world of nature and are managed by the Environment and Heritage Service and its partners to protect the wildlife for you and for our future. A clickable map directs you to each of these sites, many of which are key birding areas.

....Lough Neah in Northern Ireland - see pine martens, crested grebes at

the largest lake in the British Isles and one of the largest in Europe

....Where to Watch Birds in Kerry County - Kerry is one of the most

important counties in Ireland for bird watching. Many of the birds on the Irish list have been seen or are to be found here. Over all you could notch up to 300 species in Kerry.

....Birds & Wildfowl at Strangford Lough- Strangford's rich marine life

attracts a vast variety of birdlife. The area is a wetland of international importance supporting some 25,000 wildfowl and 50,000 waders. The Lough is a bird sanctuary and wildlife preserve, now designated a Marine Nature Reserve under the protection of the Department of the Environment.

....Nature and Natural History on The Dingle Peninsula - Bird Watching

....Trip Report - Ireland (Feb.'99 ) - by John Girdley (follow the Ireland

link on the main page. A group of ten birders from Lancaster, took a mini-bus to Ireland, with the intention of seeing a representative selection of Irelands winter birds. The emphasis was on Gulls and Wildfowl although with hindsight we should perhaps have concentrated on the Gulls!

Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
...

birdingpal.com...>>

A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for Irish Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!

**..Birds In Ireland New Service (BINS) Tours - BINS offers a variety of

unique short trips for visiting birders designed specifically to see the wide diversity of species to be found in Ireland at various times of the year.

...

Rare Bird Alert

Rare Bird News - a compliation of all the rare birds sightings received by the
.........Birds of Ireland News Service and compiled monthly by Eric Dempsey.

Info Line Northern Ireland: 0891 700 800

Info Line: 1550 111 700 (Republic of Ireland only).

Weekly Summary Line: 1550 111 701 (Republic of Ireland only).

Reports : (+ 353 1 ) 8307364

European Endemics and Specialities

in Ireland

Information on endemics and specialities is derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists and bird distribution lists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.5. Speciality birds, while not endemic, are those that can only be found in three or less countries of Europe. Species printed in bold italic have only been sighted in Ireland. Information on endangered birds is derived from the IUCN Red List, Birdlife International, and supporting data bases developed by Ian Patton, of Merlin Species Watcher. The endemic, endangered and speciality birds may be uncommon, extremely rare vagrants, may be extirpated in the country now or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species noted below have been made in Ireland.

No European Endemics in Ireland - No national Endemics
Endangered Birds in Ireland
Breeding Birds	Non-Breeding Birds
___ Corn Crake
Other Speciality Birds in Ireland
___ *American Coot* ___ American Redstart ___ Bald Eagle ___ Blackpoll Warbler ___ Black-and-White Warbler	___ Eskimo Curlew ___ Fox Sparrow ___ Grey Catbird ___ House Crow ___ Indigo Bunting ___ Northern Parula	___ Northern Waterthrush ___ Pied-bill Grebe ___ Scarlet Tanager ___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler