Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A small, shallow bay next to Tramore village in County Waterford, comprising mainly intertidal mudflat with some saltmarsh. It is sheltered from the sea by a long, shingle spit with sand-dunes, leaving only a narrow opening out to sea. The site has been extended since the last pan-European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989) to include Tramore Bay, outside of the shingle spit, between Great Newtown and Brownstone Head.
This wetland supports several wintering waterfowl in numbers of international importance. Additional species wintering in nationally important numbers include
Calidris alpina (2,721 birds, 1996),
Pluvialis apricaria (3,600 birds, 1996),
Pluvialis squatarola (258 birds, 1996),
Calidris alba (71 birds, 1995) and
Limosa limosa (250 birds, 1995).
A 2002 survey of
Falco peregrinus reported that there are 5 nesting pairs in the vicinity of the site.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
A municipal dump adjacent to the site threatens habitat quality due to the effects of pollution. Other threats include erosion of the dune system and the spread of non-native cord-grass
Spartina across the mudflats. The site overlaps with a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Tramore Backstrand; area not known).
National None
International Partial367 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Tramore Backstrand, 367 ha). 367 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Tramore Backstrand, 367 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tramore Backstrand (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tramore-backstrand-iba-ireland on 23/11/2024.
