20. Lough Gara, Cos. Sligo and Roscommon
Status: International importance. This can be a difficult flock to count accurately and counts from the 1982/3 and 1983/4 winters may have underestimated numbers present (R&O 31).
Site safeguards: The lake, main feeding areas and roost are an ASI. The Upper Lough and minor feeding sites along the shore are a Wildfowl Sanctuary. Lough Gara has recently been proposed as an SPA and Ramsar Site.
Habitat: Traditional wetland habitats had been largely deserted prior to the recent drainage of the Upper Lough. Geese now feed on intensively managed grasslands bordering the lake, with only limited use of bogs and callows.
Range size: (B). Seventeen feeding sites have been recorded, the largest being just over 50 ha. of farmland. The geese use an island on the Lower Lough or the Lough itself when disturbed.
Maximum winter counts:
1982/831011988/896051983/842461989/905141984/853501990/915001985/864471991/924651986/874321992/935001987/884211993/94538Threats: Increasing numbers in the 1980s led to damage complaints from landowners on the largest feeding site. A number of unrelated poaching incidents have also been reported.
21. Drumharlow Lough, Cos. Leitrim and Roscommon
Status: Formerly of national importance, becoming regionally important since 1989 (R&O 34). A small group of geese using the northern end of Lough Allen and the surrounding mountains may be a discrete flock but their habits are not well known. Ruttledge and Ogilvie (1979) list North Lough Allen sites as being used by the Lough Macnean flock (R&O 2).
Site safeguards: Drumharlow Lough is an ASI but no protection exists for any of the feeding sites; those at the east end of the lake are listed in CORINE.
Habitat: Callows, wet rough pastures and reseeded grasslands.
Range size: (B). Two feeding sites of 40 and 60 ha., with fifteen further small sites of up to 20 ha., often considerably less.
Maximum winter counts:
1982/83 781988/891761983/841161989/90 751984/851741990/91 821985/861081991/92 821986/871271992/931001987/881321993/94152Threats: Forestry is an increasingly important land use locally and may threaten some of the wetter farms. Disturbance from angling and boating is also increasing, although their impact is unknown.
22. Loughs Kilglass and Forbes, Cos. Leitrim, Longford and Roscommon
Status: National importance although this flock's habit of occurring in a number of widely-spread groups makes it difficult to count (R&O 3).
Site safeguards: The major lakes (Kilglass, Boderg, Bofin, Rinn and Forbes) are ASIs, but apart from one lakeshore wetland and the Rinn River callows, no feeding sites are protected. Farmland at Kilglass and Castle Forbes is listed in CORINE. Ballykenny/ Fishertown Bog was pruchased with ACE support.
Habitat: Callows, marsh and wet pasture along the Rinn river and Kilglass Lough; other groups of geese use reseeds almost exclusively. Raised bogs appear not to have been used since the mid 1980s.
Range size: (A). A very extensive range with twenty known feeding sites, several of the larger sites >100 ha. The lakes and bogs provide a number of refuges nearby when geese are disturbed.
Maximum winter counts:
1982/831681988/891481983/841001989/901231984/851061990/912401985/861101991/922401986/87 821992/932401987/881131993/94240Threats: None at present. Indeed prosperous farming conditions locally could lead to further improvements in grass quality and expansions of feeding range.
23. Midland lakes, Co. Westmeath
Status: International importance. Ruttledge and Ogilvie (1979) considered the geese at Lough Ennel and Lough Iron to be discrete flocks but our observations of geese, including thirteen birds ringed in autumn 1986, show that nowadays one flock ranges over all the Midland lakes (R&O 5/7).
Site safeguards: The major lakes (Derravaragh, Iron, Owel and Ennel) and raised bogs bordering Lough Derravaragh are ASIs. Garriskill Bog was purchased with ACE support. However, none of the feeding sites have statutory protection apart from a 10 ha. field on the shore of Lough Iron which is owned by NPWS. Loughs Derravaragh, Ennel, Glen, Iron and Owel have been recently proposed for both SPA and Ramsar designation.
Habitat: Limited use of callows in winter, but most feeding takes place on intensively managed farmland. Use of raised bogs is now rare, even as refuges, since disturbed geese normally move temporarily onto lakes.
Range size: (A). Sixteen known feeding sites. Lough Iron is the single most important site where they use three farms of 60100 ha. bordering the lake.
Maximum winter counts:
1982/833661988/893431983/843001989/903001984/853421990/913571985/863881991/923441986/874451992/933001987/883651993/94346Threats: Some agricultural conflict sporadically, but geese are dispersed and therefore generally tolerated at the main sites around Lough Iron. No other threats currently.
24. North Lough Ree, Cos. Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath
Comprises two sub-flocks, around the River Inny mouth on the eastern lake shore and a peninsula and islands north of Portrunny Bay at the north-west end of the lake (R&O 6/8).
Status: Formerly regional status, numbers have increased to national importance since 1990/91.
Site safeguards: Lough Ree, its islands and the Portrunny peninsula are ASIs but the feeding sites around the River Inny mouth are unprotected.
Habitat: Callows, wet grassland and semi-natural dry grassland.
Range size: (B). The River Inny geese have nine known feeding sites, the group to the north of Portrunny Bay have five; all are less than 15 ha. in size. The Portrunny Bay group appear on Lough Derg, where there is considerable shooting pressure, at the end of January but their feeding range during the shooting season remains unknown.
Maximum winter counts:
1982/83 721988/89 841983/84 631989/90 nc1984/85 681990/911251985/861131991/921071986/87 901992/93 75+1987/881001993/94 70Threats: Shooting disturbance restricts feeding site choice on Lough Derg from October to January.
25. River Suck, Cos. Galway, Offaly and Roscommon
Status: International importance (R&O 11/13/24).
Site safeguards: All major feeding sites are ASIs. In addition callows and farmland at Muckanagh and Cloonlaughlin are designated Wildfowl Sanctuaries and NPWS have purchased bogland at Lurgeen, in the north-west of the flock's range. Both the Middle Suck Callows (Shannonbridge to Athleague) and the Shannon Callows (Portumna to Athlone) have been recently proposed for SPA and Ramsar designation.
Habitat: Raised bogs have been rarely used in recent years. Callows and wet pasture are the most important autumn and winter habitats with heavier use of intensive grasslands in spring.
Range size: (A). The core feeding area comprises a string of thirteen closely spaced sites, each 3070 ha., bordering the middle reaches of the River Suck and together forming one very large complex. Small numbers also regularly use a second, smaller complex along the mouth of the River Suck and the River Shannon south to Shannonbridge. A separate sub-flock centred on Glenamaddy turlough uses four sites, each less than 20 ha.
Maximum winter counts:
1982/832901988/894291983/843361989/902631984/854121990/915201985/864071991/925061986/874831992/932751987/884951993/94322Threats: Individual sites have become temporarily unsuitable due to sheep grazing and temporary human habitations, but no pressures have threatened the integrity of the core range, which is protected from major disturbance by the shallowness of the main river (preventing navigation by pleasure boats) and the remoteness of several sites during high water. Geese at Glenamaddy and along the lower River Suck are more vulnerable to disturbance, particularly during the shooting season, and are occasionally displaced to the core range.
26. Little Brosna, Cos. Offaly and Tipperary
Status: International importance. Ruttledge and Ogilvie (1979) recognised four populations of Whitefronts on the River Shannon between Portumna and Athlone but shooting pressure and habitat loss have since caused significant changes in numbers and distribution (R&O 12/part of 11).
Site safeguards: The entire range, apart from some farmland sites which are of minor importance, are listed as ASIs. The eastern and western sections of the most important feeding site on the Little Brosna are Wildfowl Sanctuaries. Two neighbouring raised bogs are used as refuges and are part-owned by NPWS. The Little Brosna Callows from the confluence with the Shannon, have recently been proposed as an SPA and Ramsar Site. Mongan Bog (119 ha.) was designated as a Ramsar Site in 1987 and All Saints Bog was purchased with ACE support.
Habitat: A variety of wetland habitats along the floodplains of the Little Brosna and from its confluence with the Shannon south to Lough Derg (see Mayes 1985). Small numbers feed throughout the winter on intensively managed grassland to the east of Lough Derg.
Range size: (A). The largest feeding range in the country outside Wexford, despite the destruction of enormous areas of raised bog and the unsuitability of much of the Shannon callows because of disturbance. Thirty-four feeding sites have been recorded, of which the Little Brosna is the largest (625 ha.).
Maximum winter counts:
1982/833591988/894851983/843581989/904861984/852991990/915481985/863851991/925281986/874081992/935571987/884191993/94555+Threats: Disturbance from shooting, fishing and boating already considerably curtail this flock's distribution through most of the winter, yet control of shooting and fishing within the Little Brosna Sanctuary depend largely on the goodwill of local landowners while pressures for increased access continue.
