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County Laois

Blue Tit Parus caeruleus ©Ashley Beolens Website
Birding County Laois

County Laois, formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a county in the midlands of Ireland, forming part of the province of Leinster.

The county is landlocked and, uniquely amongst Irish counties it is doubly landlocked, that is, it does not border any other counties with a sea coast. It is therefore considered to be “the most landlocked county in Ireland”.

Contributors
Organisations

  • BirdWatch Ireland Laois Branch

    Facebook Page
    @BirdWatchIrelandLaoisbranch The purpose of this page is to provide information on the activities of BirdWatch Ireland Laois Branch.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • Laois - National Parks & Wildlife Service

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    Reserves list & info

  • NR Grantsown Wood & Granston Lough

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    These reserves are examples of wet woodland on base-rich soils. They are dominated by alder, ash and birch with hawthorn in the shrub layer. The herb layer is dominated by bramble, nettle and meadowsweet. Granstown Lough is a classic example of a lake which has gradually infilled through fen to alder carr.

  • NR Slieve Bloom Mountains

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    The Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve is, at over 2,300 hectares, Ireland’s largest state-owned Nature Reserve. It was established in 1985, so that it could be managed in such a way as to ensure the conservation of the mountain blanket bog ecosystem. In addition, the Nature Reserve is designated a Ramsar Wetland Site and a Council of Europe Biogenetic Reserve. Much of the greater upland area has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The primary interest of the SAC is mountain blanket bog. The Slieve Bloom Mountains are also designated a Special Protection Area (SPA), of special conservation interest for the hen harrier, a rare bird of prey.

  • NR Coolacurragh Wood

    WebpageSatellite View
    This reserve is an example of wet woodland on base-rich soils. It is dominated by alder, ash and birch with hawthorn in the shrub layer. The herb layer is dominated by bramble, nettle and meadowsweet. Fish in the lake provide Kingfishers, Cormorants and Otter with food. Otter tracks may be found in muddy places by the lake.

  • NR Timahoe Esker

    WebpageSatellite View
    Ash woodland with pedunculate oak and grey willow, hawthorn and hazel. The herb layer includes bluebell, bugle and shield fern. Bluebells carpet the woods in Spring and Long tailed Tits can be found nesting among the brambles.

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