DUBLIN BAY Eye

stack Ireland’s DUBLIN BAY Eye Howth Harbour East Pier P Howth Balscadden Bay By Declan Murphy P on go La e h lu h rs B rs Ma 1 a er ltm ld sa A Raheny s ne Howth Head P Cau du The sewa lk y Summit a St Anne’s Park W f P if h h l rs c Martello C a ea m b Tower lt sa C lif Fairview f W a lk s North Bull Island Clontarf e 2 n u Baily d Lighthouse w o h od ac en be br id ge Bu ll W a Dublin Harbour ll Poolbeg Lighthouse Ringsend Pigeon South Wall House Irishtown Park Shellybanks Sandymount 3 Sandymount Strand Merrion Gates Booterstown Marsh Booterstown P 4 Dún Laoghaire er Pi st Blackrock e W r Mediterranean Gull Seapoint e i P (Richard Mills) t s P a E P baths Monkstown Sandycove Dún Laoghaire 5 Dalkey Dalkey Maiden 0 Distance (kilometres) 5 Rock D a l k Killiney e y S o u n d Dalkey Island seawatch Dublin point Sorrento Point Area covered by map 1 Howth Head and Ireland’s Eye Access: Follow the coastal road from Dublin through Clontarf to few hundred metres east of the East Pier. Stonechat, Raven and Howth and park in Howth Harbour car park. Alternatively, take a Peregrine are all regularly seen along the cliff walk, while Kittiwakes, DART train to Howth Station. Follow the road from the harbour Guillemots and Razorbills can be seen on the cliff faces. south to the cliff walk. A ferry service operates to Ireland’s Eye daily Ireland’s Eye is home to over 600 pairs of Cormorants, their during the summer months from the East Pier at Howth. second largest colony on the east coast. A small number of Puffins nests on the island and can usually be seen on the water around the Habitats: Coastal harbour and sea cliffs. island, along with Black Guillemots. Large numbers of cliff-nesting Birds: The East Pier at Howth Harbour is a reliable site for Purple seabirds – Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Razorbills and Guillemots – line the Sandpiper, with up to twenty birds present each winter. Black cliff faces and fill the air with their cries. Peregrines breed on the Guillemots breed in the harbour and can be seen throughout the island and can often be seen overhead. A colony of Gannets has year, as can Guillemots and Razorbills. Iceland and Glaucous Gulls occupied the stack off the eastern side of the island since the late are often seen following the fishing trawlers during the winter. 1980s, with over 350 pairs now nesting. These provide an unrivalled Black Redstarts are regular winter visitors to Balscadden Bay, a opportunity to watch this majestic seabird close to Dublin city. 8 WINGS SPRING 2008 2 North Bull Island 4 Dún Laoghaire Access: Follow the coastal road Access: Follow the signs south from Dublin past Clontarf and from Dublin along the coast road take a right turn onto the for Dún Laoghaire Ferry and park causeway halfway along the island. near the ferry terminal. Alternatively, take the DART to Alternatively, take the DART to Raheny Station, located 1.5km Dún Laoghaire Station. west of the causeway. The Habitats: Coastal harbour and mudflats can best be viewed from rocky shoreline. the causeway running out to the Birds: The two piers, each beach from the main road, or extending for over a mile, provide from the wooden bridge at the excellent viewing points for southern end of the island. y h seabirds in south Dublin Bay. Red- p r u Habitats: Intertidal mudflats with n i throated and Great Northern M t r a large area of saltmarsh and a a N Divers, Common Scoters, Great M n Snow Bunting h sand dune system. e i o Crested Grebes, Red-breasted J n n Black Redstart Birds: The Bull is excellent for a o Mergansers and Goldeneyes can R wide variety of wintering waterfowl and waders. Large numbers of all be seen during the winter Wigeon, Shoveler, Shelduck, Teal and Brent Geese can be seen on months, along with Guillemots and Razorbills. Black Guillemots breed both sides of the causeway, while Pintail can be seen from the within the harbour at the ferry terminal and can be seen throughout northern side of the causeway. The outer part of the lagoon is good the year, while Little Gulls can regularly be seen feeding offshore. At for sea ducks such as Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye. Large high tide, a large flock of Dunlins and Ringed Plovers roosts near the flocks of Lapwing, Golden Plover and Knot are a feature of the end of the piers. Purple Sandpipers can be found feeding at the very mudflats, as well as flocks of Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and Grey end of both piers. Plover. During the autumn, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank In early spring, migrants such as Wheatear, Sandwich Tern and and Little Stint occur regularly, as can occasional rarities such as Buff- Swallow can all be found along the West Pier. The base of the East breasted Sandpiper and American Golden Plover. During high tide, Pier is a regular haunt of Black Redstart in winter, with one or two most of the waders can be found roosting on the saltmarsh. This area usually present along the shore from the pier to the old baths. is also excellent for several species of raptor. Short-eared Owls roost Sandycove, 1km further south, is an excellent site for both on the saltmarsh and in the sand dunes while Peregrines and Mediterannean Gulls; they are also often seen both in the harbour Merlins are regularly seen hunting over the mudflats and perching on and along the piers. Ross’s Gull, a rarity from the Arctic, appeared fence posts. one winter and remained in the area for a number of weeks. Snow Buntings can sometimes be found on the seaward side of the sand dunes, feeding in the marram grass. The Alder Marsh at the back of the north dunes attracts Cuckoos and other migrants in autumn. 5 Dalkey Access: Follow the 3 Sandymount Strand coast road south from Dún Laoghaire for Access: Follow the approximately 6km. coastal road south from Alternatively, take the Dublin towards DART to Dalkey Blackrock. The strand can Station. From Dalkey, be accessed from the take the road to railway crossing at Coliemore Harbour. Merrion Gates. During the summer, a e a l k Alternatively, take the l r e a ferry service operates l s n C DART to Booterstown i K to Dalkey Island from y Roseate Terns l l i n Purple Sandpiper B Station. Booterstown e the harbour. Marsh is located 0.5km K further south and can best be viewed from the Booterstown DART Habitats: Rocky coastline and offshore islands. Station car park. Birds: Maiden Rock, just north of the main island, is a breeding site Habitats: Intertidal mudflats and freshwater marsh. for Common Terns with smaller numbers of Arctic and Roseate Terns Birds: Large flocks of Bar-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, breeding each year. Shelducks breed on Dalkey Island and are present Ringed Plover and Sanderling frequent the large expanse of mudflat at throughout the year along with good numbers of Cormorants and Sandymount Strand during the winter months. Good numbers of Shags. Rafts of Razorbills and Guillemots can be seen in winter. Light-bellied Brent Geese can also be seen from September into The rocky shoreline around the island provides feeding grounds for April. During August and September a large evening roost of terns Purple Sandpipers and Turnstones, while Mediterranean and Little can be located on the strand about two to three hours before dusk. Gulls can often be found in Dalkey Sound. Short-eared Owls occur The birds are primarily Common and Arctic Terns, but smaller on Dalkey Island during the winter and can sometimes be seen numbers of Roseate and Sandwich Terns can be found amongst them. hunting there in the late afternoon from the mainland. Up to five Black Terns can be found in most years, roosting amongst During autumn, Sorrento Point, located a short distance south and the other terns, and rarities such as White-winged Black Tern have accessed through Dillon’s Park, provides an excellent seawatching been recorded. A large evening gull roost is also located here and site. Good numbers of Gannets, Manx Shearwaters, Kittiwakes and several Ring-billed Gulls can usually be seen, as well as Mediterranean Fulmars can be seen, with smaller numbers of Arctic Skuas and Storm Gulls and occasionally Iceland and Glaucous Gulls. Petrels. During strong onshore winds, Great and Pomarine Skuas, At high tide, many waders roost in Booterstown Marsh, the only Great, Cory’s and Sooty Shearwaters and Sabine’s Gull have all been Dublin feeding ground for Black-tailed Godwits south of the city. seen. Migrant warblers and flycatchers are seen on passage and Snipe, Kingfisher, Greenshank and Water Rail can also be seen here. Icterine Warbler has been recorded. WINGS SPRING 2008 9 ... in Dublin Bay Dalkey Island, Co Dublin 1 Black Redstart Winter. Usually found singly in small sheltered coves. Its red tail is easily seen in flight as it flycatches along cliff faces and walls. Black Redstarts tend to be site-faithful, with birds returning to the same sites each year. Regular sites include Dún Laoghaire’s East Pier, Dún Laoghaire’s Old Baths, Howth’s East Pier and Sorrento Point. 2 Short-eared Owl Winter. Usually seen when flushed from grass cover in coastal fields and saltmarsh.

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