Location:
Lady's Island Lake is a sedimentary lagoon and is located in the south-east of Ireland. The site comprises a shallow coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sandy-gravel barrier. The lagoon is up to 5 m deep though mostly shallower. Salinity of the lagoon is generally oligo-mesohaline but it is periodically tidal when the barrier is breached. It supports an excellent range of birds typical of lagoonal systems. In winter, there is a good diversity of waterfowl species, though most occur in relatively low numbers. The lake and its two islands, Inish and Sgarbheen are an internationally important site for breeding terns and at time of designation it was the largest tern colony in the country, with four species of tern present (NPWS, 2014).
Lady's Island Lake is a sedimentary lagoon and is located in the south-east of Ireland. The site comprises a shallow coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sandy-gravel barrier. The lagoon is up to 5 m deep though mostly shallower. Salinity of the lagoon is generally oligo-mesohaline but it is periodically tidal when the barrier is breached. It supports an excellent range of birds typical of lagoonal systems. In winter, there is a good diversity of waterfowl species, though most occur in relatively low numbers. The lake and its two islands, Inish and Sgarbheen are an internationally important site for breeding terns and at time of designation it was the largest tern colony in the country, with four species of tern present (NPWS, 2014).
Lady's Island Lake SPA ©NPWS
Location of the islands in Lady's Island Lake SPA ©NPWS
Breeding Bird Figures:
In 2018, 227 breeding pairs of roseate terns were recorded nesting on the southern end of Inish at Lady’s Island Lake. This was an increase of 8 nests on that recorded in 2017. Lady's Island Lake is the second largest roseate tern colony in the Republic of Ireland and NW European population.
The breeding tern colonies have all increased in number since the site was designated a SPA with Sandwich Terns (Sterna sandivensis) now at 1780 pairs. Common and Arctic Terns (Sterna hirundo/paradiseaea) were censused separately, with a total of 916 Common and 693 Arctic Tern nests recorded. This gave a combined total of 1609, an 4.79% decrease on that of 2017.
In 2018, 227 breeding pairs of roseate terns were recorded nesting on the southern end of Inish at Lady’s Island Lake. This was an increase of 8 nests on that recorded in 2017. Lady's Island Lake is the second largest roseate tern colony in the Republic of Ireland and NW European population.
The breeding tern colonies have all increased in number since the site was designated a SPA with Sandwich Terns (Sterna sandivensis) now at 1780 pairs. Common and Arctic Terns (Sterna hirundo/paradiseaea) were censused separately, with a total of 916 Common and 693 Arctic Tern nests recorded. This gave a combined total of 1609, an 4.79% decrease on that of 2017.
Roseate Tern in nestbox by Brian Burke
Partnership:
The site is owned by several private individuals but is used for conservation (summer) and wildfowl shooting (winter). It is managed by regional staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). In the past, BirdWatch Ireland has been involved in wardening the site and now provides advice on data analysis and predator identification and management, together with special rings for roseate terns.
Presence of the LIFE Project:
Although no direct conservation work is planned at Lady's Island Lake, the LIFE Project is maintaining regular and frequent contact with NPWS. These frequent discussions ensure that management lessons and recommendations arising from the project will benefit the site managers at Lady's Island Lake. The LIFE Project has also undertaken a biosecurity assessment and set up a response plan at Lady's Island Lake in order to mitigate mammalian predation.
The site is owned by several private individuals but is used for conservation (summer) and wildfowl shooting (winter). It is managed by regional staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). In the past, BirdWatch Ireland has been involved in wardening the site and now provides advice on data analysis and predator identification and management, together with special rings for roseate terns.
Presence of the LIFE Project:
Although no direct conservation work is planned at Lady's Island Lake, the LIFE Project is maintaining regular and frequent contact with NPWS. These frequent discussions ensure that management lessons and recommendations arising from the project will benefit the site managers at Lady's Island Lake. The LIFE Project has also undertaken a biosecurity assessment and set up a response plan at Lady's Island Lake in order to mitigate mammalian predation.
Bird's eye view of Lady's Island Lake by Tony Murray/NPWS
Bibliography:
LIFE (2015) LIFE Nature and Biodiversity Technical Applications Forms. Part A - Administrative information. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project
Macleod-Nolan, C (2016) Review on Roseate Tern LIFE Project SPAs. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project. RSPB unpublished document.
LIFE (2015) LIFE Nature and Biodiversity Technical Applications Forms. Part A - Administrative information. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project
Macleod-Nolan, C (2016) Review on Roseate Tern LIFE Project SPAs. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project. RSPB unpublished document.