Laois Habitats Survey 2009

Habitats Survey (Phase V) County Laois 2009 Feral goats on Baunreagh in the Slieve Bloom Mountains October 2009 Report prepared for Laois Heritage Forum: An Action of the Laois Heritage Plan Betsy Hickey and Mary Tubridy Mary Tubridy and Associates, Dublin, Phone 01-8333195 Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................1 Summary .............................................................................................................................................................2 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................3 1.1 Brief ..........................................................................................................................................................3 1.2 Approach .................................................................................................................................................3 2. Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................5 3 Results .............................................................................................................................................................8 3.1 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................8 3.1.1 Habitat and plant species diversity ...................................................................................................8 3.1.2 Cover of habitats ............................................................................................................................ 10 3.2 Habitat Diversity ................................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.2 Wetlands ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Grasslands................................................................................................................................................ 17 3.3 4 Heath and Bog Habitats .................................................................................................................. 21 3.2.5 Woodland and scrub habitats ........................................................................................................ 24 3.2.6 Cultivated and built land habitats .................................................................................................. 27 3.3 Local Biodiversity Areas ......................................................................................................................... 28 4. Conclusions .................................................................................................................................................. 29 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 29 4.2. Information and awareness raising ...................................................................................................... 29 4.3 Managing change .................................................................................................................................. 30 4.4 Partnership with the statutory authorities............................................................................................ 31 References ....................................................................................................................................................... 32 Appendix 1. Habitats listed in the Habitats Directive ...................................................................................... 33 Appendix 2. Evaluation of Local Biodiversity Areas (NRA 2004) ..................................................................... 35 Appendix 3. Guidelines for identifying Local Biodiversity Areas in Laois ........................................................ 36 1 Background ............................................................................................................................................... 36 2 What is a site of local biodiversity interest?............................................................................................. 36 3 Information to be contained in the account of each LBA ........................................................................ 36 Appendix 4. Information leaflet ...................................................................................................................... 38 Appendix 5. List of Landowners ...................................................................................................................... 39 Appendix 6. Checklist of plant species ............................................................................................................ 40 Appendix 7. Rare or occasional plant species ................................................................................................. 47 Appendix 8. List of species recorded by habitat .............................................................................................. 48 Appendix 8. Target notes X habitat X location ................................................................................................ 63 Appendix 9. Habitats containing abundant Succisa pratensis ......................................................................... 70 Appendix 10. Location of exotic invasives ....................................................................................................... 71 Appendix 11. Accounts of (Potential) Local Biodiversity Areas ....................................................................... 72 Site 1: Delour River Valley ........................................................................................................................... 72 Site 2: Deerpark estate ................................................................................................................................ 73 Site 3: Area south and east of Conlawn hill ................................................................................................. 74 Site 4 Ballyfin Demesne ............................................................................................................................... 75 Site 5 Owennahallia River Valley ................................................................................................................. 77 Site 6 Owenass and Murglash River Valleys ............................................................................................... 79 Plates Figure 1. Areas surveyed and digitised during the Laois Habitats Survey ..........................................................5 Figure 2 Townlands surveyed in 2009 ................................................................................................................6 Figure3 Dystrophic lakes (FL1), (Grid square N2501, Target note 1). A small clear lake in blanket bog in Gorteenameale within the Nature Reserve. ................................................................................................... 14 Figure 4. Eroding/upland rivers (FW1), forming the boundary between Sconce Upper and Ballyfin Upper (Grid square S3599, Target note 1). ................................................................................................................ 15 Figure 5. Small calcareous spring in oak-ash-hazel woodland (WN2) in Ballyfin Upper (Grid square N3601, target note 2) ................................................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 6. Dry calcareous and neutral grassland (GS1) close to the Mountrath River in Drim (Grid square S3298 Target note 1). ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Figure 7. Dry-humid acid grassland (GS3) in Ballyhuppahane (Grid square N3704, target note 1) with lesser butterfly orchid growing in association with wood speedwell, clover and grasses. ....................................... 18 Figure 8. Wet grassland (GS4) in Deerpark (Grid square S3498, target note 1)............................................. 19 Figure 9. Species rich Improved agricultural grassland (GA1) in Ballyhuppahane (Grid square N3604, Target note 1). ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Figure 10. Dry siliceous heath (HH1) in Mountainfarm (Grid square N3100, Target note 2) with a sky lark nest built among ling heather, tormentil and deergrass................................................................................. 21 Figure 11. Wet heath (HH3) habitat in Ballyfin Upper with Dry Heath in foreground (Grid square N3502, target note 6). The view looks south towards the summit of Conlawn Hill. .................................................. 22 Figure 12. Typical Upland Blanket Bog (PB2) habitat on Wolftrap Mountain,

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