Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
Lough Barra bog is a lowland blanket bog situated in the upper part of the Gweebarra river valley. It lies adjacent to the southern boundary of Glenveagh National Park (site 016) in County Donegal.
This site provides valuable feeding habitat for a small flock of wintering
Anser albifrons flavirostris (10 birds, 1994). The IBA was designated as a Special Protection Area for this species and for its breeding numbers of four other species that are also listed on Annex I of the EC Birds Directive:
Gavia stellata,
Falco columbarius,
Falco peregrinus and
Pluvialis apricaria.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Major threats to the site are peat-cutting, overgrazing and trampling by sheep and deer. There are annual deer culls to control numbers and the main herd is kept within the National Park. The IBA overlaps with a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Lough Barra Bog; area not known).
National Partial
International High176 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Lough Barra bog, 176 ha). 176 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Lough Barra bog, 176 ha). 739 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Lough Barra bog, 739 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lough Barra bog (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lough-barra-bog-iba-ireland on 24/11/2024.
