Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A north-facing triangular bay, on the county borders of Mayo and Sligo and at the mouth of the Moy river. A long, sand island, Bartragh Island, separates the south-west side of the bay from open water. Most of the inner region is intertidal, with extensive sand- and mudflats. The main land-uses are for amenity, and the Moy estuary is renowned for salmon fishing.
Other wintering species occurring in numbers of national importance include
Mergus serrator (31 birds, 1996),
Charadrius hiaticula (140 birds, 1995),
Pluvialis squatarola (237 birds, 1996),
Calidris alba (57 birds, 1996) and
Calidris alpina (2,131 birds, 1996).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threats to the site are uncontrolled or accidental emissions into the estuary and bay from Ballina sewage plant and, until recently, from the chemical plant (Asahi) at Killala (now closed). Other threats include intensive holiday-village developments adjacent to the bay, and golf-course expansion and development on the dunes at Inishcrone and Bartragh Island. There is damage to saltmarsh due to grazing and tractors. The site lies within a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Killala Bay; area not known).
National None
International Partial1,061 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Killala Bay, 1,061 ha). 1,061 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Killala Bay, 1,061 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Killala Bay (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/killala-bay-iba-ireland on 23/11/2024.
