Annagh Marsh Reserve in Belmullet in Co. Mayo

BirdWatch Ireland has a small reserve (17 acres), 7km west of Belmullet on the Mullet Peninsula. Annagh Marsh, just south of Termoncarragh Lake, is a coastal machair site, with wet grassland, sedge-rich meadows, marsh and open water.

The site is important for breeding waders (snipe, dunlin, lapwing and redshank). In the past, Annagh Marsh was the only regular Irish breeding site for the rare red-necked phalarope and the most southerly breeding site of this species in the world.

Throughout the area chough, rock dove and twite are regularly seen, sometimes in numbers during the winter and dabbling ducks and whooper swans occur in winter, commuting from Termoncarragh Lake.

Because of the sensitive breeding bird populations, access to this reserve is by prior arrangement with BirdWatch Ireland only.

BirdWatch Ireland are hopeful for increasing populations of bird species at Annagh Marsh in the years to come.

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