Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
This site encompasses an 8-km estuarine stretch of the River Foyle, with mudflat and saltmarsh habitat and two contiguous river valleys, with wet meadow, arable fields and improved pasture. It is located south of Derry city in Northern Ireland, while its eastern boundary is the County Donegal/Tyrone border. Nearby Lough Foyle, located north of Derry city, is a separate site (site 004).
This is an important site for wintering wildfowl. Species occurring in nationally important numbers include
Anas crecca (657 birds, 1995),
Bucephala clangula (115 birds, 1996) and
Mergus serrator (42 birds, 1996).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Wildfowling causes disturbance to birds, and the proximity of Derry city may also adversely affect the site.
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: River Foyle: Carrigans and Swilly Burn valleys (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/river-foyle:-carrigans-and-swilly-burn-valleys-iba-ireland on 23/12/2024.
