RAISED BOG MONITORING PROJECT 2004 –2005 DOCUMENT 3 SITE REPORTS and MAPS VOLUME 3 A REPORT TO THE NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DUBLIN Fernando Fernandez Valverde Maeve Fanning Mark Mccorry William Crowley August, 2005 Raised Bog Monitoring Project 2004/05 Flughany Bog, Cos. Mayo/Sligo 1. SITE IDENTIFICATION SAC no.: 497 6” Sheet: MO 52 & SO 44 GRid Ref.: G 600 060 1:50,000 Sheet: 32 SAC area 2005 (ha): 231.09 High bog aRea 2005 (ha): 147.17 Dates of Visit: 06/04/2005 Townlands: Flughany, Cloonfeightrim, Ogham, Mountirvine, Knocknahoo & Gortygara. 2. SITE LOCATION Flughany bog is situated on the Sligo/Mayo border approximately 7km northeast of Charlestown, Co. Mayo and 5.5km southeast of Tobercurry, Co. Sligo. Roads run to the south, west and southeast of the site and access is easy from these. This site is located to the north-east of Derrynabrock Bog, Gowlan Bog and Kilgarriff Bog which are all part of the River Moy SAC (SAC 2298) and Tawnaghbeg Bog (SAC 547). 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY This survey, carried out on 6th April 2005, surveyed the vegetation on the high bog and other notable features including drainage, cutting and other impacts at Flughany Bog. This data was used to identify and assess the intensity and influence of any impact activity on the site as part of the project to assess the Conservation Status of a Selection of Raised Bog Habitats 2004. Local NPWS management staff collaborated on the survey and information on impacts and activities at the site were obtained. 4. DESCRIPTION OF HIGH BOG This bog is shaped with two main lobes connected by a mineral ridges and the longest axis is orientated N-S. The southern lobe is the largest and is oblong shaped with the longest axis orientated NW-SE. This bog has been classified as a Ridge Basin bog type (Kelly et al., 1995). This bog is also classified as a Western/Intermediate type raised bog (Cross, 1990). 5. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION 5.1. Raised bog habitats present included in Annex I of Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) The following EU Annex I habitats are listed in the Flughany SAC Natura form; active raised bog (EU code 7110), degraded bog (EU code 7120) and depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion (EU code 7150). The following summary description relates to the 2004 survey. 5.1.1. Active raised bog (7110) There are 8.75 ha of active raised bog overall (all lobes) on the high bog at Flughany Bog composed of central, sub-central and active flush ecotope (See Map 1) with 8.24 ha occurring in lobe 1. This accounts for 5.95% of the high bog area. The extent and quality of active raised bog has declined somewhat since 1995 in the main lobe when there was 9.88 ha of active raised bog in the main lobe 1 and 44% of this area was central ecotope. The active raised bog occurs on flat or gently sloped parts of the bog. The main area of central ecotope occurs in the south-eastern area (C1 & SC2). There are also several other small patches of active raised bog including a small patch of active flush in flush Z, a small patch of sub-central ecotope north of flush Z (SC2), and a small area of sub-central ecotope in lobe 3, which was not surveyed in 1995. The largest active raised bog area contains good quality central ecotope. This area has well-developed pool topography with large inter-connecting pools typical of western type raised bogs. The pools have a high quality Sphagnum cover with both S. cuspidatum and S. auriculatum present. The pools also contain some algae along with Menyanthes trifoliata, Drosera anglica and Eriophorum angustifolium. 1 Raised Bog Monitoring Project 2004/05 The bog surface is very soft. The interpool areas are dominated by flats/lawns with occasional large hummocks. The flats are dominated by Rhynchospora alba with frequent low hummocks and lawn patches of S. papillosum, S. capillifolium and occasional S. tenellum, S. imbricatum and S. fuscum. Both Campylopus atrovirens and Racomitrium lanuginosum (western raised bog indicators) are both present. Calluna vulgaris occurs on the larger hummocks. The Cladonia spp. cover is quite low. The sub-central ecotope that surrounds this central area has a similar vegetation. The linear pools in the sub-central areas are quite long but are generally not inter-connected and cover less area. Rhynchospora alba still dominates the flats/lawns of the inter-pool areas. Small amounts of Eriophorum vaginatum, .E. angustifolium, Carex panicea and Narthecium ossifragum are also present. The overall Sphagnum cover of both the pools and the interpool areas is lower compared to the central ecotope. Occasional small patches have a relatively high cover of algae and are of sub-marginal quality. A small active flush patch occurs in a depression in flush Z. This area contains a quaking Sphagnum lawn dominated by S. cuspidatum with small patches of S. magellanicum and Aulacomnium palustre. Vaccinium oxycoccos occurs quite frequently on the Sphagnum lawns and the occasional hummocks of S. capillifolium and S. papillosum. A small patch of sub-central vegetation occurs to the north of flush Z. This area contains frequent good quality small pools and the inter-pool vegetation is dominated by Calluna vulgaris and Eriophorum vaginatum. Another small area of sub-central ecotope occurs in lobe 3, which was not surveyed in 1995. This area contains long tear pools with a good quality Sphagnum cover including S. cuspidatum and S. auriculatum, and contain frequent Eriophorum angustifolium. The inter-pool areas are poor in Sphagnum and consist of Carex panicea, Narthecium ossifragum and Eriophorum vaginatum. 5.1.2. Degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration (7120) There are 138.4 ha (94.1%) of degraded raised bog within this site (all lobes). This habitat includes the face-bank, marginal, sub-marginal and inactive flush ecotopes. The bog surface is generally firm or firm to soft around the margins. The degraded raised bog occurs on flat and gently-steeply sloped parts of the bog. The sub-marginal ecotope dominates the southern lobe with a narrow band of marginal ecotope vegetation around the margins. The central area of the western section contains frequent poor quality tear pools. There are some small areas with well-developed pool topography, but with a poor Sphagnum cover. Most of the remaining degraded raised bog contains few scattered pools. The vegetation is usually dominated by Carex panicea with varying amounts of Narthecium ossifragum and Eriophorum vaginatum in the flats and hollows. The Sphagnum cover is dominated by low hummocks of S. capillifolium, S. papillosum and less frequent S. tenellum. Hummocks of S. imbricatum and S. fuscum are also occasionally found in most of the sub-marginal areas on the high bog. Calluna vulgaris occurs frequently on small hummocks and there is a relatively low to moderate Cladonia spp. cover. The south-western part of the southern lobe contains a sub-marginal complex characterised by the presence of scattered Phragmites australis, possibly indicating a thin peat layer in this area. Rhynchospora alba dominates small areas of flats and hollows around the main active raised bog area and also dominates a large section north-east of the main active raised bog area, were there are few hummocks. The marginal slopes are usually quit firm and are dominated more frequent Carex panicea compared to the sub-marginal ecotope. Trichophorum cespitosum also frequently occurs on the marginal slopes. The area between flush Y and Z occurs on a slope with south-western aspect and several erosion channels occur on the slope. Trichophorum cespitosum is also frequent in this area. The northern part of the main lobe contains a range of complexes with Carex panicea and Narthecium ossifragum where flats and hollows are dominant. Some areas around the flushes are characterised by frequent Myrica gale and robust Calluna vulgaris and tufts of Eriophorum vaginatum, indicating some element of flushing in the general high bog vegetation. Several inactive flushes occur on this site. Flush Z occurs along the northern boundary of the southern lobe and has a characteristic drainage channel flowing across the bog with several swallow holes here the stream disappears underground. The channel is vegetated by Calluna vulgaris and Myrica gale with the sides of the flush dominated by Molinia caerulea. Several Betula pubescens and Salix spp. trees and Ulex europaeus bushes occur along the channel. The swallow holes contain a range of species. Flush Y occurs in the northern part of main lobe and is vegetated by tall Calluna vulgaris and Myrica gale with Molinia caerulea. This flush has been modified by a drain cutting across it. A third large flush occurs at the north of the main lobe (Flush X). This flush has been particularly modified by peat-cutting in these area, with the intact parts characterised by the dominance of Molinia caerulea or 2 Raised Bog Monitoring Project 2004/05 the dominance of Calluna vulgaris and Eriophorum vaginatum with Myrica gale. There are several Betula pubescens scattered through this flush. This survey also surveyed several smaller high bog lobes scattered around the main lobe that were not included by Kelly et al., (1995) but are within the SAC. These lobes are separated from the main section by cutover bog and associated drains and by old tracks in some cases. The vegetation of these areas is similar to the main lobe. Sub-marginal vegetation occurs in the central areas, with more frequent Calluna vulgaris, Eriophorum vaginatum in places and a softer bog surface.