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Overview
Lying about 5km off the coast of Co Wexford in south-east Ireland, the Saltee Islands consist of Great Saltee about 2km long by 1km wide and Little Saltee, 1km long by 0.5km wide.
The larger island has rocky cliffs and boulder-strewn beaches with the interior covered largely by bracken and bramble scrub.
Birds
Notable Species
Breeding seabirds include Northern Fulmar and Manx Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant and Shag, Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Atlantic Puffin as well as various gulls.
Other breeders include Common Shelduck and Mallard, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover and Peregrine Falcon is resident. Passerines are few but Northern Raven and Red-billed Chough, Meadow Pipit and Rock Pipit nest.
Passage periods and especially spring bring passerine migrants to the islands such as hirundines, Phylloscopus warblers, flycatchers, Redstart and Whinchat. South-easterly winds tend to produce the best birding in spring.
Small numbers of skuas and shearwaters may be seen off the islands during periods of southerly winds in autumn.
Rarities
Most springs see the arrival of rarer migrants such as Hoopoe, Tawny Pipit, Golden Oriole and Woodchat Shrike and vagrants recorded here in the past have included Olive-backed Pipit, Siberian Stonechat and Western Bonelli's Warbler and Greenish Warbler.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Northern Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Atlantic Puffin, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, Barn Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Woodchat Shrike, Red-billed Chough, Northern Raven
Other Wildlife
To do
Site Information
The best time to visit Great Saltee is around mid-May when migrants will be present and seabirds arriving at their colonies.
History and Use
The island was once farmed but has been abandoned for the last sixty years. The islands are now a private bird sanctuary and internationally important numbers of seabirds breed on Great Saltee.
In addition the islands attract migrants and there was once a bird observatory stationed here.
Areas of Interest
Access and Facilities
Day-trips to the islands can be arranged with boat-owners in Kilmore Quay and permission from the owners is required to stay overnight. Few of the seabird species breed on Little Saltee so this island is rarely worth visiting.
Contact Details
To do
External Links
Content and images originally posted by Steve
