Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A very large, open, shallow sea bay on the east coast, extending east from Dundalk town in County Louth. This site encompasses extensive sand- and mudflats, which at low tide are up to 3 km wide, as well as saltmarshes, shingle-beaches and tidal rivers. The estuaries of the rivers Dee, Glyde, Fane and Castletown are all included in the site. There is intertidal shellfish cultivation. Saltmarshes at Lurgangreen and Marsh South are partially fenced and used for grazing sheep.
This wetland is of international importance for its waterfowl, regularly holding over 20,000 wintering birds. Several other species occur in numbers of national importance including
Tadorna tadorna (391 birds, 1996),
Anas penelope (1,026 birds, 1995),
Anas acuta (112 birds, 1996),
Haematopus ostralegus (6,605 birds, 1995),
Pluvialis apricaria (7,240 birds, 1996) and
Limosa limosa (360 birds, 1995).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Pressure from housing development is leading to loss of saltmarsh. Further habitat loss, due to the proximity of Dundalk town, may impact on the site. Habitat quality may be reduced by intertidal shellfish cultivation and by the spread of non-native cord-grass
Spartina.
National Partial
International HighIBA overlaps with Wildfowl Sanctuary (Ballymascanlon; area not known). IBA overlaps with Wildfowl Sanctuary (Lurgan Green; area not known). 4,768 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Dundalk Bay, 4,768 ha). 4,768 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Dundalk Bay, 4,768 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dundalk Bay (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dundalk-bay-iba-ireland on 23/12/2024.
