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County Wicklow

Eurasian Teal Anas crecca ©Ashley Beolens Website

County Wicklow is a county in the province of Leinster on the east coast of Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. The county is bordered by the Irish Sea to the east and the counties of Carlow to the southwest, Kildare to the west, Wexford to the south, as well as two parts of what was County Dublin, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County and South Dublin County. Wicklow is known as the Garden of Ireland because of its scenery, which includes extensive woodlands and scenic beaches. It covers an area of over 2,000 square kilometres, which is around about 780 square miles. Its current population is round about 156,000 people, and the county town is Wicklow, although the largest settlement is Bray; which is effectively a suburb of Dublin. Other main towns include Greystones Arklow. All of these towns are situated on the east coast.

The Wicklow Mountains are the largest continuous upland region on the island of Ireland; the highest mountain in the range, Lugnaquilla, rises to 925m. The Wicklow Way, the oldest waymarked long distance walking trail in Ireland, traverses the range, although tending to avoid major summits; the highest point, White Hill at 630m, ranks as just the 29th highest peak in the county.

Wicklow Mountains National Park – ©J.-H. Janßen CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Wicklow rivers include the River Slaney the Avoca River, the River Derreen in the south and the Liffey and its tributary the River Dodder; other natural features include Lough OulerLough Dan and Lough Tay, and the lakes of Glendalough. Poulaphouca Reservoir is the largest body of water covering over 2,200 hectares, Irelands largest artificial lake, created by damming the Liffy.

Birding County Wicklow

The county has around 37,500 hectares of woodland, accounts for over 18% of the land. Most of the forest is temperate broadleaf mixed with some commercial conifers. Above the tree line, some of which is used for hill farming, blanket bog dominates.

Wicklow Mountains National Park covers part of a mountain range that extends over most of County Wicklow. The upper slopes and rounded peaks are blanketed with heath and bog interspersed with forestry plantations. Fast-flowing streams descend run down to the deep lakes of the wooded valleys and on into the lowlands. Most of the other nature reserves are protecting native woodland, some of which is ancient.

Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve, for example, is an area of sessile oak. It is a very good example of the drier type of oak woodland characteristic of Wicklow’s acidic soils.

Glendalough Upper Lake Woodlands in Autumn – ©Magdalleny CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Glendalough Nature Reserve is also a series of oak woods extending from the Upper Lake to the lower slopes of Derrybawn Mountain. Whereas Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve although a good example of its type, is periodically coppiced. In Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve some of the valley slopes are dominated by sessile oak, while other areas are characterised by mixed woodland. Notable features of the slopes are the frequent and extensive springs and seepage areas within the woodland. The site has one of the most diverse woodland invertebrate faunas in Ireland, incorporating internationally threatened wet woodland organisms. The Vale of Clara Nature Reserve is also a large area of fragmented oak-wood. It contains the largest area of semi-natural woodland in Co. Wicklow and is potentially one of the largest stands of native hardwoods in the country. The area has been at least partially under woodland since the Ice Age. The oak-woods are of high scenic value, and an important habitat for bird species year-round.

County Recorder
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 306

    (As at March 2026)
Checklist

  • Avibase

    Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Wicklow , 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 - Wicklow

    Webpage
    Thank you for visiting Bird Watching Ireland. This site is a resource for bird watching enthusiasts. It features bird species in different bird watching locations in Ireland

  • Birdwatch Ireland Wicklow Branch

    Facebook Page
    To promote and educate in relation to the conservation of birds and biodiversity in Co. Wicklow and Ireland.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NP Wicklow Mountains National Park

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Upland heath and blanket bog dominate the mountainous areas of the Park, and the moorland bird species include Ravens, Red Grouse, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Peregrine Falcons and Merlin. Ring Ouzel, a rare and declining thrush species also breeds on the scree slopes…

  • NR Deputy's Pass

    WebpageSatellite View
    Although coppice in origin this woodland is a good example of its type

  • NR Glen of the Downs

    InformationSatellite View
    The Glen of the Downs (Irish: Gleann dá Ghrua, meaning "The Valley of the Two Brows") is a 2km long wooded glacial valley with steep sides rising to almost 250m on the east coast of Ireland. It contains a designated Nature Reserve comprising 59 ha, as well as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC)

  • NR Glendalough

    WebpageSatellite View
    A series of oak woods extending from the upper lake to the lower slopes of Derrybawn Mountain.

  • NR Glenealo Valley

    WebpageSatellite View
    A broad open valley surrounded by mountains and generally consists of a large plateau of mixed heathland and peatland.

  • NR Kilcoole Nature Reserve

    WebpageSatellite View
    In winter Kilcoole Reserve attracts large numbers of waders and wildfowl. In summer the largest Little Tern colony in Ireland breeds on the shingle beach.

  • NR Knocksink Wood

    WebpageSatellite View
    Some of the valley slopes are dominated by sessile oak, while other areas are characterised by mixed woodland. Notable features of the slopes are the frequent and extensive springs and seepage areas within the woodland. These petrifying springs are listed as a priority habitat in the EU Habitats Directive. The site has one of the most diverse woodland invertebrate faunas in Ireland, incorporating wet woodland organisms threatened internationally within the EU.

  • NR Vale of Clara

    WebpageSatellite View
    A large area of fragmented oak-wood. It contains the largest area of semi-natural woodland in Co. Wicklow and is potentially one of the largest stands of native hardwoods in the country. The area has been at least partially under woodland since the Ice Age.
Sightings, News & Forums
Trip Reports

  • 2024 [04 April] - Brian Carruthers

    PDF Report
    Kilcoole Car Park or by Train from Dublin...
Other Links

  • Wicklow Seabird Trail

    Webpage
    The coastal trail between Greystones and Bray has an amazing seaview and underway you can see a lot of seabirds.
Blogs

  • Shazza's Backyard Blog

    BLOG
    Irish garden birding BLOG… Last updated 2013!

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