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The site was identified as important in 2009 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Brent Goose Branta bernicla	LC	winter	2002-2006	30-439 individuals	B1i, C3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2009) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2009) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Brent Goose Branta bernicla	773	194	individuals	26	very unfavourable
Melanitta nigra	594	346	individuals	59	not assessed
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata	7	0	individuals	0	not assessed
Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope	3,457	241	individuals	7	not assessed
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos	430	55	individuals	13	not assessed
Northern Pintail Anas acuta	34	0	individuals	0	not assessed
Anas crecca	358	78	individuals	22	not assessed
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus	1,178	396	individuals	34	not assessed
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	614	86	individuals	15	not assessed
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	608	270	individuals	45	not assessed
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	370	71	individuals	20	very unfavourable
Red Knot Calidris canutus	998	95	individuals	10	very unfavourable
Sanderling Calidris alba	37	412	individuals	100	not assessed
Dunlin Calidris alpina	3,519	245	individuals	7	not assessed
Common Redshank Tringa totanus	427	161	individuals	38	not assessed

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Pollution	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Natural system modifications	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1990	Castlemaine Harbour	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	8
1990	Castlemaine Harbour	Nature Reserve	8
1994	Castlemaine Harbour SPA	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	25
1997	Castlemaine Harbour	Wildfowl Sanctuary	-
1999	Castlemaine Harbour SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	66

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Humid grasslands	20
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	60
agriculture	20
not utilised	20

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Castlemaine Harbour (Ireland). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/castlemaine-harbour-iba-ireland on 23/11/2024.