Sandymount Strand  
     
 

Sandymount is an extensive area of intertidal sandflats which holds internationally important numbers of wildfowl and waders each winter. It is also famous for attracting large numbers of gulls in winter, and is also an evening roosting site for terns in autumn. The area is best watched on a rising tide when birds are forced close inshore and one of the best locations is at the Merrion Gates. From Irishtown follow the coast road that runs along Sandymount Strand where there are several carparks. A path also runs along the coast on this section. At high tide, anywhere along here is good for seeing geese, waders and gulls in winter. However, the best high tide vantage point is at the Merrion Gates (the large automatic railway gates). On a rising tide, this is one of the best areas for viewing waders and gulls in autumn and winter. Evening roosts of terns gather in this area in late summer/early autumn. At low tide the entire length of Sandymount Strand can be walked.

Alternatively, view the strand from behind Booterstown Railway Station by walking over the footbridge above the railway tracks and watching from the seawall.

Birds found on Sandymount Strand
From a
utumn through winter and into early spring large numbers of wildfowl and waders are found. These include Brent Goose, Shelduck, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel (in spring & autumn), and Redshank. In autumn small numbers of Little Stints, Curlew Sandpipers sometimes occur while large flocks of gulls use Sandymount as a roosting site in winter. This is one of the best sites for seeing Mediterranean Gulls in winter. In late summer the strand is also a roosting site for terns.

 
     
  © Copyright Eric Dempsey