Extent of the Waterways -  River Barrow                         

The Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. Ireland’s premier wildfowl reserve, the Wexford Slobs and Harbour are a natural haven for birds. As many as 10,000 (one third of the world’s population) Greenland, White Fronted Geese come here for the winter. The reserve is home to large flocks of geese, ducks and wading birds during the autumn. There are hides and other facilities for bird watching as well as guided tours on request (Tel 0539123129).

Special Protection Area (EU), Natural Heritage Area, Statutory Nature Reserve, Wildfowl Sanctuary, Ramsar Site including a visitor centre: exhibitions, bird watching and audio-visual show

hides and observation tower for bird watching.

The Wexford Slobs and Harbour are, by their very location and geomorphological structure, a natural haven for birds. Situated on the coast, and in sight of the south east corner of Ireland, it is the closest point to Britain and the continent for birds that are migrating into or out of Ireland from a southerly direction.
Waders and wildfowl in particular, are attracted to the area where the flat landscape is accentuated by a number of complementary characteristics that create a safe place to feed, loaf, roost and breed. These features are dominated by the wide shallow harbour with its sandbars and mud-banks. The harbour is open to the sea from the east, though 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 slow moving, meandering River Slaney which, in its lower reaches, is tidal. To the north and south of the harbour are the large areas of reclaimed lands known as the Slobs.
Two hundred and sixty-three bird species have been recorded to date of which sixty-nine are considered common in winter, with a further thirty-seven being categorised as scarce.
Not only are the slobs and harbour of major international importance for their waders and wildfowl during the winter but also during spring and autumn when large numbers of birds on migration stop to feed in these rich areas.
It is during the winter months that the Wexford Slobs and Harbour come into their own. From early October right through to the middle of April, the North and South Slobs and the harbour are home to thousands of ducks, geese, waders and swans.
The Reserve
In 1969 the then Department of Lands and the Irish Wildbird Conservancy (now BirdWatch Ireland), with a grant from the World Wildlife Fund (now Worldwide Fund for Nature) and a contribution from Messers Arthur Guinness, purchased 109 hectares (270 acres) on the North Slob. In 1981 this area was established as a statutory Nature Reserve. The reserve was extended to over 190 hectares (470 acres) in 1990. The main habitats on the reserve are grass fields. Fodder beet is grown to provide feeding for the geese during the short mid-winter days. The main channel is an important source of water for drinking and bathing by geese and duck. Fringing reed-beds provide cover for water birds and are used by various species to breed during the summer. The reserve lands are not particularly conducive to the more unusual plants of our native flora, though Borer's Salt Marsh Grass (Puccinellia fasciculata) – an Irish listed Red Data Plant - is ‘common’ near the reserve buildings.
Greenland White-fronted Geese (Answer albifrons flavirostris). The first geese recorded on the slobs were Greylag (Anser anser) in 1898. Numbers quickly built up to several thousand and the flock continued to thrive until the late 1940s and early 1950s when there was a shift to wintering grounds in Scotland. Only small numbers are now recorded. Greenland White-fronted Geese first appeared on the Slobs in about 1910, building up to several thousand in the mid-1930s. Numbers are currently around 7,500 (just under a third of the world’s population). Scientific research is carried out on the population dynamics, feeding and habitat requirements of the geese. This is important for the conservation of the population.. Over 2,000 pale-bellied Brent Geese (Branta bernicla) also winter on the reserve. European White-fronted Geese (Answer albifrons albifrons), Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis), and Pink-footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) occur in small numbers. Currently ten species of Goose have been recorded locally.
Swans - Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) are present throughout, but in reduced numbers after the break-up of the summer moulting herds (around 250). During the winter Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) (recently as many as 400) and Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus columbianus) ( around 300) are present.
Ducks - Thirty species have been recorded, including such rarities as American Wigeon (Anas americana), Black Duck (Anas rubripes), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis), and others. The common wintering species are Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), Wigeon (Anas penelope), Gadwall (Anas strepera), Teal (Anas crecca), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Pintail (Anas acuta), Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Pochard (Aythya ferina), Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), Scaup (Aythya marila), Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator). Breeding species are predominantly Shelduck, Mallard and Tufted Duck.
Waders - Forty-four wader species have been recorded. Commoner species include Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria), Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Dunlin (Calidris alpina), Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa), Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), Curlew (Numenius arquata) and Redshank (Tringa totanus), while small numbers of Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Knot (Calidris canutus), Ruff (Philomachus pugnax), Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus), Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) and Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) are found especially when the tide covers the harbour sand and mud flats. Several rare vagrant species from North America and Eurasia have been recorded.
Other Birds - Great Crested (Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Coot (Fulica atra) all nest on the slobs. Spring migration of waders continues through May and into early June, and by the last week in June the first waders are back from their Arctic breeding grounds. Many non-breeding waders remain for the summer. By late June numbers of Mallard and Mute Swan begin to build up for the annual moult when they are flightless for some weeks. There are a wide variety of non-waterfowl species breeding including Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) and Raven (Corvus corax). Good numbers of Skylark (Alauda arvensis), Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), Stonechat (Saxicola torquata), Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) – a speciality of the reserve - and Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Rarer breeding species include Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). During the harvest Rooks (Corvus frugilegus), Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), gulls species (Larus species)and wader species feast on the exposed invertebrates. Ten species of tern (Sterna species) have been recorded in the Harbour of which five can be regularly seen throughout the summer.
During the winter the area provides shelter and feeding for a wide variety of species including Great Northern (Gavia immer) and Red-throated Divers (Gavia stellata), Slavonian (Podiceps aurites) and Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis). Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Merlin (Falco columbarius) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) are regularly seen and Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) are also present. Large flocks of Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) and Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) congregate to feed on spilt grain and weed seeds.
Mammals - A local speciality is the Blue Hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus), an Irish sub-species. Hares are fully protected on the Reserve as well as the surrounding townslands of the North Slob. Other mammals include Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Badgers (Meles meles), Irish Stoats (Mustela erminea hibernica), Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus), House and Wood Mice (Mus domesticus and Apodemus sylvaticus), Pigmy Shrew (Sorex minutus) and the occasional Otter (Lutra lutra). Four species of Bat have been recorded. The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) can be seen over the sea wall and Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) is regularly recorded in small numbers.
Butterflies, Moths and Dragonflies - During the summer months a wide variety of butterflies, moths and dragonflies are recorded. Again, due to the location of the Wexford Slobs and Harbour the diversity of species is as good, if not better than any other location in Ireland. Migrant and rare species are continually been noted in the area adding to the enjoyment of those interested in other aspects of natural history.
*Ref: 'High Skies' - Low Lands, An Anthology of the Wexford Slobs and Harbour' Edited by David Rowe and Christopher J. Wilson. 1996.