birdwatching

The silences of Lough Erne are spring broken by courting waders and wildfowl. The characteristic habitats of Lower Lough Erne are traditional hay-meadows and unimproved islands. On the upper lake flooded drumlins, reedswamp and fen are the pattern. Upper Lough Erne: Access by hire cruiser or row boat, or via small roads off B5114 and A509. Species: 5 % of the world's whooper swan overwintering. Nesting snipe, great-crested grebe, curlew, redshank, a few corncrake. Moorlough Lough: location on A34 Lisnaskea - Newtownbutler road. Species: wintering whooper swan. Lough Head/Kilmore Lough/Ross Lough: Access by lanes west of Lisnaskea. Species: winter, dabbling duck, grazing whooper swan, snipe, water rail; summer, grebes, lapwing, redshank. Inishfendra: Location island off Crom Estate west of Newtowbutler. Access restricted in breeding season. Species: Ireland's largest heronry in weathered 400-year-old oak grove. Reilly Wood: Location east off A509 at Teemore. Species: kestrel, sparrowhawk in old oakwood. Race Course Lough/Drumgay Lough Location off A32 north of Enniskillen Species wintering wildfowl. Cormorant. Lower Lough Erne: Species breeding waders, snipe, curlew, redshank; great-crested grebe in significant numbers; a few corncrake, irregular parties of whooper swan. Raptors and golden plover rear young in the uplands. Castlecaldwell Forest and Islands: Location 4 miles east of Belleek off A47. Access to shoreline at all times. Species: breeding garden, grasshopper, sedge and willow warblers, siskin, crossbill; tufted duck, red-breasted merganser, heron common and Sandwich terns on islands. Common scoter still occur in small numbers. Castle Archdale Country Park & NNR Islands: Inishmakill, Cleenishmeen/Cleenishgarve, Strongbow, Gay. Lcotion Inishmakill: 4 miles south of Kesh. Species: island-breeding garden warbler; black-headed, lesser black-backed and greater black-backed gulls. Lough Navar Forest: Location off A46 10 miles north-west of Enniskillen. Species hen harrier, merlin, peregrine, raven; crossbill. Lough Carran/Lough Ross Location off C444, west of Ely Lodge. Species whooper swan, Canada goose, wigeon, kingfisher. Upper Lough Macnean Lower Lough Macnean: Location north-west and south-east fo Belcoo village. Species wintering Greenland white-fronted goose, whooper swan; great-crested grebe. Pettigoe Plateau: Location first left off A35 east of Pettigoe. Access there are a number of points of access to this large area of blanket bogland and moors scattered with pools. Try first left of A35 east of Pettigoe. For dedicated birders only. Species breeding hen harrier, golden plover; wintering Greenland white-fronted goose.