Ireland Ramsar wetland
Lough Gara
109 bird species recorded; the most in January.
Declangi · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
65 species in January.53 species in February.34 species in March.30 species in April.24 species in May.8 species in June.25 species in July.0 species in August.2 species in September.23 species in October.9 species in November.52 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
NT
VU
NT
No records for this month.
NT
NTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
109 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 109Speciesrecorded more than once
- 40Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 2,023Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 62 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 7Raptors
- 1Owls
- 10Waders
- 7Gulls & seabirds
- 18Ducks & geese
- 4Herons, ibises & grebes
- 49Songbirds
- 13Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 109 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
Waders10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
Gulls & seabirds7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Common GullLarus canus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Common LoonGavia immer
Ducks & geese18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
Herons, ibises & grebes4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
Songbirds49 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Great titParus major
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Other birds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- CootFulica atra
- Willow PtarmiganLagopus lagopus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan7°/3°123 mm
- Feb7°/2°96 mm
- Mar9°/3°92 mm
- Apr11°/5°76 mm
- May14°/7°93 mm
- Jun17°/10°100 mm
- Jul18°/11°111 mm
- Aug18°/11°120 mm
- Sep16°/10°99 mm
- Oct13°/7°119 mm
- Nov9°/5°130 mm
- Dec7°/3°129 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lough Gara.
Body of water
Lough Gara is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Ireland.
109 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 2,023 open records.
The most recorded are the Mallard, the Mute Swan and the Great Crested Grebe.
10 species come for the summer, 28 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
1 are threatened worldwide, including Common Pochard.
The most species are recorded in January.
Get there and watch
- Church Viewplace to stay · 6.6 km · 6 within 10 km
- Ballaghaderreennearest town · 9.8 km in a straight line
- Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 24 km in a straight lineCar hire at NOC airport (Charlestown)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1viewpoints within 5 kmWynne's View
- 3car parks within 3 km
- 1campsites within 10 km
- 6places to stay within 10 kmChurch View, Hill Hotel, Edmondstown House and 3 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Lough Gara.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmCarricknahorna · 12 kmKesh Corann · 12 kmKnocknashee276 m · 24 kmGortnadrass · 24 kmKilronan Mountain · 24 km
Lakeyas4 lakes within 15 kmLough Gara7.9 km² · 0.5 kmCavetown Lough0.5 km² · 13 kmLough Arrow11 km² · 13 kmLough Key7.5 km² · 14 km
Cavernyas1 caves within 20 kmCaves of Kesh · 12 km
Riveryasthe river nearbyLittle Brosna RiverNenagh RiverAbbey River, Limerick
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Lough Gara
Ireland
- 51Birdyas Score
- 109Species
- 40Migrants
- 1Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q6686123) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 2,023 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas, Cavernyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
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dark skies
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viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
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Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit