Inch Levels Wildfowl Reserve

  • Author: ActiveME
  • Created: August 28, 2012 10:32 am
  • Updated: December 12, 2017 11:02 am
Location: Donegal
  • Distance Instructions
Label
  • Distance 11 km
  • Time 0 s
  • Speed 0.0 km/h
  • Min altitude 0 m
  • Peak 4 m
  • Climb 6 m
  • Descent 7 m
Inch Levels Wildfowl Reserve is Ireland’s premier wetland site located to the east of Lough Swilly and nearly 8km to the south of Buncrana. It is an internationally significant destination and staging ground for migrating birds from three continents. Whether you are a serious twitcher or a novice bird watcher, the Inch Wildfowl Reserve provides excellent viewing opportunities for summer and winter visitors including wintering wildfowl and waders, not to mention the variety of summer breeders. It supports a wide diversity of wintering waterfowl, notably swans and geese, as well as breeding terns, gulls and duck. It is an important link in the overall Lough Swilly wetland system, which includes Blanket Nook and Big Isle to the south. Three of these species occur in nationally important numbers (Greenland White-fronted Goose, Sandwich Tern and Common Tern) and one of these in internationally important numbers (Whooper Swan). In addition, it also supports internationally important numbers of the migratory species Greylag Goose. Two species, Whooper Swan and Greylag Goose, occur in numbers of international importance. Greylag geese numbers fluctuate depending on the weather (2008 numbers peaked at 3000+).  Considerably higher numbers of Whooper Swan (peak of 6000+) have been recorded, especially early in the season, as this is the area where the swans make their Irish landfall in autumn on their return from breeding grounds in Iceland.

Gallery

Inch Levels Wildfowl Reserve is Ireland’s premier wetland site located to the east of Lough Swilly and nearly 8km to the south of Buncrana. It is an internationally significant destination and staging ground for migrating birds from three continents. Whether you are a serious twitcher or a novice bird watcher, the Inch Wildfowl Reserve provides excellent viewing opportunities for summer and winter visitors including wintering wildfowl and waders, not to mention the variety of summer breeders. It supports a wide diversity of wintering waterfowl, notably swans and geese, as well as breeding terns, gulls and duck. It is an important link in the overall Lough Swilly wetland system, which includes Blanket Nook and Big Isle to the south. Three of these species occur in nationally important numbers (Greenland White-fronted Goose, Sandwich Tern and Common Tern) and one of these in internationally important numbers (Whooper Swan). In addition, it also supports internationally important numbers of the migratory species Greylag Goose. Two species, Whooper Swan and Greylag Goose, occur in numbers of international importance. Greylag geese numbers fluctuate depending on the weather (2008 numbers peaked at 3000+).  Considerably higher numbers of Whooper Swan (peak of 6000+) have been recorded, especially early in the season, as this is the area where the swans make their Irish landfall in autumn on their return from breeding grounds in Iceland.

Gallery