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County Offaly

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo ©Ashley Beolens Website

County Offaly is a county in Leinster, bordered by seven other counties: Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare, Laois, and Tipperary. It covers an area of around 2,000 km2 (770 square miles) with a population of about 84,000 people.  The county town is Tullamore.

Although a largely flat county, the southern part, bordering County Laois is occupied by the Slieve Bloom Mountains. In the northwestern is the floodplain of the River Shannon and the remainder consists of large bogs including the Bog of Allen and Boora Bog. Other rivers are the River Camcor, Little Brosna River and Silver River.

Grand Canal near Edenderry – ©JP CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Grand Canal also runs across the county. There are many small lakes. Nearly a quarter o9fnthe county consists of boglands, whereas less than 5% is woodland; most of which is high conifer forest. Peat extraction is still a large employing industry, although it is dwindling and used far less for power production. Much of the county is agricultural.

Birding County Offaly

Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve is a RAMSAR site and an example of mountain blanket bog. The upland areas are good for breeding Hen Harrier and holds other raptors such as Merlin and Peregrine. In summer Ring Ousels breed as do Wheatear and waders and there are resident Raven.

Silver River – ©Sarah777 Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Clara Bog is perhaps the best remaining example of midland raised bog in Western Europe with its hummocks, hollows, lawns, pools and flushes; all classic components of a raised bog. The drier areas of the bog are dominated by heather providing good cover for Red Grouse. The wetter areas and pools offer perfect habitat for dragonflies and damselflies as well as resident otter. Merlin breed here as well as common birds such as Meadow Pipit and Skylark.

Mongan Bog Nature Reserve is another area of raised bog where there are Hen Harriers during winter and a good number of wintering Snipe.

Top Sites

  • Lough Boora Parklands

    WebpageSatellite View
    You cannot get more off the beaten track than at Lough Boora Sculpture Parklands in County Offaly. It is a peat bog (so expect flies) and a special area of conservation which apart from the designated walk/cycle ways is about as wild, natural and peaceful as you are likely to get anywhere in Ireland.
Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 211

    (As at March 2026)
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Offaly , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • eBird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
Useful Reading

  • Birds of Ireland - A Field Guide

    | By Jim Wilson | Gill Books | 2024 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 288 pages, 1600+ colour photos, colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9781804580721 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Finding Birds in Ireland - The Complete Guide

    | By Eric Dempsey & Michael O'Clery | Gill Books | 2014 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 389 pages, 300 colour photos, colour maps | ISBN: 9780717159253 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Organisations

  • Birdwatch Ireland Offaly Branch

    Webpage
    Contacts
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NR Clara Bog

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Clara Bog is the finest remaining example of a raised bog in Ireland today, covering 464 hectares of raised bog with evident lag and soak systems. The nature reserve is home to many protected wildlife species. The drier areas of the bog are dominated by heather and this provides good cover for Red Grouse, Snipe and Curlew. The wetter areas and pools offer perfect breeding and feeding sites for various insects, most notably dragonflies (such as hawkers, chasers and skimmers) and damselflies. It is also rich in moths and butterflies (the Large Heath, for example, depends upon raised bog), newts, lizards and frogs. Clara Bog is the only known site for two rare midges, and a click beetle. The small bird of prey, the Merlin, breeds here. More common bogland birds include the Meadow Pipit and Skylark. Otters and hares also seen.

  • NR SPA Slieve Bloom Mountains

    WebsiteSatellite View
    The gentle rolling hills of the The Slieve Bloom Mountains rise from the central plains of Ireland, forming a natural link between the counties of Laois and of Offaly. The area is picturesque, peaceful, gloriously multi-coloured and one of the least explored in Ireland. 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 Mongan Bog

    WebpageSatellite View
    There are a good number of wintering Snipe to be found, however, Greenland Whitefronted geese no longer use this bog to the extent that the did in the past. Hen Harriers occasionally hunt over the site in Winter.

  • NR SPA Raheenmore Bog

    InformationSatellite View
    Raheenmore Bog is a raised bog north-west of Daingean, County Offaly, in Ireland. Since the 1980s the greater part of the bog has been maintained as a 162 hectare Nature Reserve, which is currently managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. A Special Area of Conservation covers 182 ha, including some land in private ownership.

  • Offaly Wildlife Reserves

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Annotated List - click on the individual links…
Sightings, News & Forums
Trip Reports

  • 2024 [10 October] - Brian Carruthers

    PDF Report
    Natural area with tree-shaded walks, biking trails, a fairy trail, fishing & birdwatching sites. I'd recommend two or more to travel which would make it easier to spot the birds, as you need a car to cover the entire site, but specifically to get around to the walking only areas Most of the birdwatching sites you can drive to are only open from 8am - 7pm
Other Links

  • Where to watch

    Wepage
    Five top birdwatching spots in Offaly
Blogs

  • The Offaly Bad Birder

    BLOG
    Last updated 2011! Adventures birding the paradise of Co. Offaly, Ireland…

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