The Murrough Wetlands
The Murrough Wetlands are a long complex of coastal wetlands in County Wicklow, Ireland. The main wetland is centred around Broad Lough immediately north of Wicklow town. Broad Lough is a large estuarine lake that is cut off from the Irish Sea by a long, thin shingle ridge. Smaller, disconnected wetland areas such as the East Coast Nature Reserve and the Kicoole Marshes are also included in the complex. The Murrough Wetlands are the most extensive wetland area on the east coast of Ireland, and are an EU-designated Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.
Habitats
- Annual vegetation of drift lines
- Perennial vegetation of stony banks
- Atlantic salt meadows
- Mediterranean salt meadows
- Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae
- Alkaline fens
Bird species
- Eurasian reed warbler
- Kingfisher
- Eurasian teal
- Eurasian wigeon
- Mallard
- Gadwall
- White-fronted Goose
- Greylag Goose
- Pale-bellied Brent Goose
- Ringed Plover
- Western marsh harrier
- Northern shoveler
- Hen Harrier
- Whooper Swan
- Little Egret
- Red-throated Diver
- Eurasian oystercatcher
- European herring gull
- Little Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Eurasian curlew
- Great cormorant
- European golden plover
- Water Rail
- Little Tern
- Little Grebe
- Common shelduck
- Common redshank
- Northern lapwing