Lough Foyle ASSI

Lough Foyle is of particular interest because of its physiography, flora and fauna. The site includes the whole of the intertidal area, the area above HWM (upper beach area), some sections of the backshore and the mouths of a number of tributary rivers.

The physiographical interest relates to various active coastal processes which occur on both the intertidal and upper beach areas of the shore, in the river and in the saltmarsh environments. These processes include the development of shell and gravel ridges, saltmarsh pans, drainage creeks and sand spits.

The fauna of Lough Foyle includes a large and diverse population of waders and other bird species and regularly supports a wintering bird assemblage of over 5,000 waterfowl.

Four over wintering species of bird occur in sufficient numbers within the proposed ASSI which qualifies them as internationally important. They are whooper swan, light-bellied Brent goose, wigeon and bar-tailed godwit.

Overwintering species whose numbers are sufficient to qualify the species as important in an all-Ireland context include the following: mallard, teal, red-breasted merganser, shelduck, greylag goose, mute swan, Bewicks swan, oystercatcher, dunlin, great crested greb, knot, curlew, redshank and greenshank.

Three other species which have been recorded in numbers large enough to qualify them as significant in an all-Ireland context are eider, golden plover and pintail.