Welcome to the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve Website

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Recent citings: Daily

A few Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Swallows etc. to be seen from our hides. Sandwich, Little, Common and Arctic Terns seen along the sea wall. A Kestrel as been patrolling the sea wall for the past month or more.

Monday 13th

Marsh Harrier flew in around 6:30p.m. from the harbour announced by many gulls.

Thursday 2nd

Yellow Wagtail (Adult male) seen around the pen at the centre.

Whitethroat seen at the entrance to Ardcavan Beach

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As of the start of March we are back and running our Education Programmes for 2013. June is booking up fast so call us soon to ensure we can accommodate you this school year.

Any school wishing to book activities in 2013 please contact the centre at 076 100 2664 & 087 2646433. We have posted our 2013 brochure out to schools in Wexford and Carlow, if your school did not recieve one please inform us so we can send you one each year.

Check out our DPS+M video here

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The Geese are gone for another summer, but they will be back!! While they are away you can still come and visit to see our summer birds including the swallows who are building their nests in our hides.

We also have our tadpole tank set up, anyone who would like to see these little guys up close come visit them at the centre.

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Upcomming Events:

May 11th & 12th. World Migratory Bird Day

Come visit the centre to learn about our migratory birds, most notably our Greenland White-fronted geese and have a chance to see our summer visitors! There will be a guide in the centre on Sunday 12th to answer any questions and to help find some of our visiting migrants from our observation tower.

 

May 18th - 26th is National Biodiversity Week

National Biodiversity Week will take place this year from Saturday 18th May to Sunday 26th May, with the UN International Day of Biodiversity being celebrated on 22nd May. This year the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has designated a theme of Water & Biodiversity for 2013.

This will be Ireland’s 7th annual celebration of National Biodiversity week and its aim is to create awareness of the importance of biodiversity and to better understand its value to the local, national and international community.

 

May 18th is also Fasination of Plants day.

Keep an eye on this website to see what events will be taking place here at the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve.

 

August 17th - 25th is National Heritage Week and as with every year we will have dedicated events. We will be advertising the events closer to the time.

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The first of this winter seasons Greenland White-fronted geese and Whooper swans arrived on Saturday 29th September. The latest and last count for the season from 16th April is 403 Greenland White-fronts. Unfortunately the percentage of juveniles in the population is at a record low of only 4.86% with an average brood size of 2.63 young per breeding pair. Of the many other species there are over 1000 light-bellied Brent Geese.

 

Along with these there are many other birds to be seen in the fields and ponds around our tower including Curlew, Teal, Oystercatcher, Snipe, Lapwing, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit, Moorhen and many, many more. Our winter visitors are still here but will be moving on in the couple of months.

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GREENLAND WHITE-FRONTED GEESE

2010 was the best breeding season in years for White-fronts and came after a few slow years, read all about it

New Sightings

Find out what's new to the Reserve here

Wexford Wildfowl Reserve

Wexford Harbour and its Slobs, by their location and geomorphological structure, are natural havens for birds. Situated on the south-east coast of Ireland, they are the closest point for birds migrating into or out of Ireland from Britain and the Continent from a southerly direction.

 

Waders and wildfowl in particular are attracted to the area where the flat landscape and the wide shallow harbour with its sandbars and mud banks provide safe areas to feed, loaf, roost and breed.

 

Wexford Harbour opening to the Irish Sea to the east, is partially protected by Rosslare Point to the south, the Raven sand dune system to the north and the Fort and adjacent sandbars in the middle. From the west, the harbour is fed by the meandering River Slaney which, in its lower reaches, is tidal.

The Slob lands were reclaimed from the sea in the 1840's, with the building of the sea wall and the pumphouse. For more information on the history of the area please visit our history section.

 

From early October through to the middle of April, the North and South Slobs and the Harbour are home to thousands of ducks, geese, swans and waders making this a site of major international importance for wildfowl and waders. In addition, during spring and autumn, large numbers of birds on migration stop to feed in these rich areas.