Rogerstown Estuary | ||||
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There is a small left turn opposite the sign for ‘Rogerstown Estuary Hide’ about 600m along this road. Take this turn and follow the track past the tall trees on the right and then follow right. Continue for almost 1km past the allotments on the left and then open farmland on right until the track swings to left. At the end of this track is the south hide which is open and manned at the weekends from Oct to March. Good views of the inner estuary can be had from the hide area. The ‘flooded field’ directly opposite the hide is also worth checking for wildfowl, waders and for roosting gulls. Green Sandpipers are regularly found in autumn on the inner channels inland and west of the hide. To watch from the north side, from the N1, take right turn signposted Skerries, Rush and Lusk. Continue for 400m and take first right turn signposted Balleally. Follow this road for almost 1.5km until you reach a row of bungalows on the right. A small gate on the right is marked Birdwatch Ireland Reserve and leads to a track through a row of trees and then across the open fields to reach north hide, which remains open at all times. The channels in this area are also good for Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher. The outer estuary can be reached by continuing past the gate until you reach the entrance to the Balleally Refuse Tip. Continue past the entrance and follow the rough track under the railway bridge. The outer estuary can be viewed from here and by following the track along the shoreline. Birds found at Rogerstown From
autumn through winter and into early spring, Rogerstown holds large
numbers of wildfowl including
Greylag and Brent Goose, as well as Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler,
Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser. It is also an excellent area for
Little Egret, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Kestrel. It also
attracts large numbers of waders including Golden Plover, Grey Plover,
Lapwing, Knot, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank and
Greenshank. In autumn it is also good for seeing Little Stint, Curlew
Sandpiper and Ruff. The nearby refuse dump also means that large numbers
of gulls are found here. The fields and hedgerows are also worth checking
for Yellowhammers and finches in winter. In summer, common warblers like
Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap are found. |
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© Copyright Eric Dempsey | ||||