Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is currently part of the United Kingdom in the northeast of the island of Ireland, variously described as a country, province or region. It is part of the historical province of Ulster which also includes the Republic of Ireland’s counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan. Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. It has a population of just over 1,900,000 people, constituting about 28% of the island’s total population and under 3% of the UK’s population. Belfast is the capital and by far largest city, followed by Derry.

Northern Ireland consists of ceremonial six counties that are no longer administrative units, but are still convenient recording areas (except in the case of Lough Neagh, where five of the county boundaries meet at various points in the largest inland body of water in the British Isles – it covers 153 square miles).

It was covered by an ice sheet for most of the last ice age and on numerous previous occasions, the legacy of which can be seen in the extensive coverage of drumlins in Counties Fermanagh, Armagh, Antrim and particularly Down. The centrepiece of Northern Ireland’s geography is Lough Neagh, at 391k² (153 square miles) the largest freshwater lake both on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. The largest island of Northern Ireland is Rathlin, off the north Antrim coast. Strangford Lough is the largest inlet in the British Isles, covering 58 square miles.

Birding Northern Ireland

For a small area Northern Ireland has diverse habitat. The coastline encompasses four major estuaries (Lough Foyle, Belfast Lough, Strangford Lough and Carlingford Lough). Some lakes support internationally important bird populations, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg hold up to 80,000 wintering waterfowl of some 20 species, including ducks, geese, swans and gulls. The Lower and Upper River Bann, River Foyle and River Blackwater form extensive fertile lowlands, with excellent arable land also found in North and East Down, although much of the hill country is marginal and suitable largely for animal husbandry.

The Mourne Mountains in south county Down have the highest ground with Slieve Donard at 2,796 feet, and over a dozen peaks over 2,000 feet. A lot of county Antrim is an elevated basalt plateau between 1,000 and 1,200 feet. Fermanagh in the southwest is the Lakeland of Northern Ireland with Upper and Lower Lough Erne, and numerous small lakes dotted across the landscape. Tyrone and Londonderry have the rather bleak high ground of the Sperrin Mountains. Yet it is possible to drive nearly anywhere from the Belfast in several hours.

Only 8% of Northern Ireland is woodland, and most of this is non-native conifer plantations. Many birds which are common residents in Britain and continental Europe are rare or unusual in Ireland, examples include Tawny Owl, Willow Tit, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, and all woodpecker species except the recently established Great Spotted Woodpecker. These are birds which do not move great distances and their absence may be due to Ireland’s early isolation, but also Ireland’s mild weather means early breeding and choice of best habitats which gives residents an advantage over visitors. However, across Ireland there are important populations of species that are in decline elsewhere. Storm Petrels (largest breeding numbers in the world), Roseate Tern, Chough, and Corncrake. Three-quarters of the world population of Pale-bellied Brent geese winter in Strangford Lough in County Down. Four species of bird have Irish subspecies. These are Coal Tit (Parus ater hibernicus), Dipper (Cinclus cinclus hibernicus), Jay (Garrulus glandarius hibernicus), and Red Grouse ( Lagopus lagopus hibernicus).  Golden Eagles have been recently reintroduced after decades of extinction (Reintroduction Programme in County Donegal). Another conservation effort is habitat management to encourage the Red-necked Phalarope. White-tailed Eagle were reintroduced to the Republic of Ireland (young eagles being released in Killarney National Park) after an absence of over 200 years from the island of  Ireland and are expected to spread across the island. Red Kite were introduced and now flourish in Northern Ireland.  There are plans for the common crane to also return to Ireland in the future. While the osprey and marsh harrier have slowly returned to Ireland naturally.