Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
Drumcliff Bay is the most northern section of Sligo Bay's three estuaries. The main habitats are extensive mud- and sandflats together with goose-feeding fields at Ballintemple, Lissadell and Balgilgan. The site previously included goose-feeding fields at Lissadell and has been considerably enlarged since the previous pan-European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989) to include Drumcliff Bay itself. There is intertidal shellfish cultivation (aquaculture).
The site supports large numbers of wintering wildfowl and waders. In particular, the improved grassland at Ballintemple and Lissadell provides feeding habitat for internationally important numbers of
Branta leucopsis, as well as
Anser albifrons flavirostris and
Cygnus cygnus. Wintering waders include nationally important numbers of
Tringa totanus (593 birds, 1995).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
NPW manage Balgilgan/Lissadell Nature Reserve for the geese (
Anser/
Branta). Intertidal shellfish cultivation may threaten habitat quality. Feeding fields for geese at Ballintemple are not protected. The site overlaps with a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Lissadell and Drumcliff Bay; area not known).
National Low
International Partial29 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Balgilgan/Lissadell, 29 ha). 1,575 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Drumcliff Bay, 1,575 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Drumcliff Bay and Ballintemple (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/drumcliff-bay-and-ballintemple-iba-ireland on 23/11/2024.
