Inner Belfast Lough
Also within
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Coastal
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| bar-tailed godwit | Unknown |
| black-tailed godwit | Unknown |
| cormorant | Unknown |
| curlew | Unknown |
| curlew | Wintering |
| dunlin | Unknown |
| dunlin | Wintering |
| eider | Unknown |
| goldeneye | Roosting |
| goldeneye | Unknown |
| goldeneye | Wintering |
| great crested grebe | Unknown |
| knot | Unknown |
| lapwing | Unknown |
| mallard | Unknown |
| mallard | Wintering |
| oystercatcher | Roosting |
| oystercatcher | Wintering |
| red-breasted merganser | Roosting |
| redshank | Roosting |
| redshank | Wintering |
| ringed plover | Roosting |
| ringed plover | Unknown |
| ringed plover | Wintering |
| scaup | Roosting |
| scaup | Wintering |
| shelduck | Roosting |
| teal | Wintering |
| turnstone | Roosting |
| wigeon | Wintering |
Description
Inner Belfast Lough Invertebrate assemblage, black-tailed godwit, great cormorant, curlew, dunlin, eider, goldeneye, great crested grebe, knot, lapwing, mallard, oystercatcher, red-breasted merganser, redshank, ringed plover, scaup, shelduck, turnstone The area is of special scientific interest because of its fauna. It includes areas of intertidal mudflats, which when exposed are used as feeding grounds by wildfowl and waders, and when inundated are used by wildfowl. It also includes lagoons and land, both reclaimed and being reclaimed, which are important roosting localities for wildfowl and waderst and the freshwater ponds of Victoria Park used both for feeding and roosting, primarily by waders. Despite considerable alteration from the original ecosystem, largely as the result of land reclamation, the area of special scientific interest still retains significant numbers of migrant and over-wintering wildfowl and waders. The intertidal mudflats and roosting lagoons hold major concentrations of redshank Tringa totanus and oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, with numbers of each being in excess of 1% of the British Isles overwintering population. Of similar proportional significance are the offshore feeding population of goldeneye Bucephala clangula and scaup Aythya marila which feed in the area of special scientific interest at high tide. Several other species of wildfowl-including mallard Anas platyrhynchos, teal Anas crecca and wigeon Anas penelope and waders e.g. curlew Numenius arquata, dunlin Calidris alpina, ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula and bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica are also found in large numbers throughout much of the area of special scientific interest. https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/inner-belfast-lough-assi
Species mentioned
Show the 19 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| teal | Anas crecca | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | NT (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| scaup | Aythya marila | EN (NonBreeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | VU (NonBreeding), VU (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| wigeon | Mareca penelope | LC (NonBreeding), NT (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| red-breasted merganser | Mergus serrator | VU (NonBreeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| eider | Somateria mollissima | VU (NonBreeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| shelduck | Tadorna tadorna | EN (NonBreeding), EN (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | NT (Breeding) | bird-frigate | fregatidae |
| great crested grebe | Podiceps cristatus | LC (NonBreeding), VU (Breeding) | bird-grebe | podicipedidae |
| dunlin | Calidris alpina | EN (NonBreeding) | bird-wader | scolopacidae |
| knot | Calidris canutus | LC (NonBreeding) | bird-wader | scolopacidae |
| ringed plover | Charadrius hiaticula | VU (NonBreeding) | bird-wader | charadriidae |
| oystercatcher | Haematopus ostralegus | LC (Breeding) | bird-wader | haematopodidae |
| bar-tailed godwit | Limosa lapponica | LC (NonBreeding) | bird-wader | scolopacidae |
| black-tailed godwit | Limosa limosa | LC (NonBreeding) | bird-wader | scolopacidae |
| curlew | Numenius arquata | EN (Breeding) | bird-wader | scolopacidae |
| redshank | Tringa totanus | EN (NonBreeding) | bird-wader | scolopacidae |
| lapwing | Vanellus vanellus | VU (NonBreeding), EN (Breeding) | bird-wader | charadriidae |