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Deciduous Woodland

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11 Native Irish Trees

22 Pond Fjords

33 Conifer Woodlands

44 Native Wildflower Meadow

55 Deciduous Woodlands

66 The Boardwalk

AA Picnic Area

BB Piazza

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Deciduous WoodlandUnlike evergreen or coniferous trees, deciduous trees shed their leaves in the autumn and newshoots and leaves appear the following spring. The deciduous woodland here includes manyof our native trees as shown at Stopping point 1 of our nature trail. Along with those are othernon-native trees such as sycamore and lime trees.

Trees have many important roles - their wood can be used as building material, and they helpto bind the soil in the ground. They play a vital role in purifying the air by taking in CarbonDioxide and releasing Oxygen, in a process called photosynthesis. Another important role is tohelp to shelter and provide sustenance for animals such as birds and squirrels.

Non Native Irish Trees

SSyyccaammoorreeAAcceerr PPsseeuuddooppllaattaannuuss // SSeeiiccmmaarr

The seedlings of the Sycamore aresometimes known as ‘helicopters’because of the way they spinthrough the air when they fall fromthe tree. They are very hardy treesand might live to 150 years. Woodfrom the sycamore is often used tomake furniture, when it is polishedto a golden-brown colour. Inprevious years it was also used forthe floor of dance halls because itis so strong and smooth.

LLiimmee TTrreeeeTTiilliiaa // TTeeiillee

Tilia species are large deciduoustrees, reaching typically 20 to 40metres. They are generally calledlime in Britain and linden orbasswood in North America.Aphids are attracted by the richsupply of sap. The tree producesfragrant nectar producing flowers,the medicinal herb lime blossom.The timber of linden trees is softand easily worked. During theViking Era, it was often used forconstructing shields. It is popularfor electric guitar and bass bodiesand wind instruments such asrecorders. It is also the wood ofchoice for window blinds andshutters.

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Information sourced from

Birdwatchireland.ie, askaboutireland.ie

Native Wildflower Meadow

Habitat for birds large and smallHere are some of the birds you might seearound the deciduous woodlands

BBlluuee TTiittPPaarruuss CCaaeerruulleeuuss // MMeeaannttáánn GGoorrmm

The Blue Tit is a very active bird, and busies itself with building its nestand gathering food. It makes its nest in holes in trees, walls and willreadily make use of nest boxes that we put out in the garden. Blue titsare very clever birds when it comes to searching for food. Did you knowthat they can peel the bark off trees to forage for insects underneath?They are very acrobatic and will often hang upside down on branchesso it can peck the bark away! They love to eat seeds and insects. Theywill also very happily nibble from nut feeders if you hang one from a treein your garden, or feed from scraps left on bird tables.

RRoobbiinnEErriitthhaaccuuss RRuubbeeccuullaa // SSppiiddeeóógg

The Robin is one of Ireland's favourite birds. It is very friendly and willoften perch on windowsills, and is not afraid of approaching humans!The Robin likes to build its nest in cracks in walls, hedges or tree stumps.If you put an open-fronted nest box outside, you are likely to find a Robinnesting there too. Robins live on a diet of worms, insects, snails andfruit. The Robin is a very territorial bird so it does not like it at all ifanother Robin trespasses into its area. If another Robin does comes tooclose, it puffs up its little red breast and sings out loud to warn him off!

SSoonngg TThhrruusshhTTuurrdduuss PPhhiilloommeellooss // SSmmóóllaacchh CCeeooiill

The song thrush is a very common bird in Ireland. Like most other birds,it likes to live in gardens, parks or woodland areas. Unlike other birds,it repeats its song twice. The song thrush loves to eat snails! Have youever found empty, broken snail shells around stones on the ground?This is often because the song thrush has cracked the shell on a stoneso it can feed on the snail. Its diet also includes insects, worms andberries. Have you ever seen the song thrush searching for worms in thegarden? It skips along the grass with its head tilted to one side. It has todo this when looking for food as its eyes are on the side of its head!

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Information sourced from

Birdwatchireland.ie, askaboutireland.ie

Native Wildflower MeadowHabitat for birds large and small

MMaaggppiiee PPiiccaa // SSnnaagg BBrreeaacc

The Magpie belongs to the crow family and is another very commonbird in Ireland. It feeds on worms, slugs and other insects. However, theMagpie has a reputation as a scavenger. This is probably because it willeat almost anything, including food dropped by humans or even foodleft out for cats and dogs. The Magpie is a very noisy bird and makes asharp sound. When a group of magpies come together it is called amagpie parliament. At these meetings they jump and chase each otheraround, and there is a lot of loud chatter!

SSwwaallllooww HHiirruunnddoo // FFááiinnlleeoogg

The Swallow is one example of Ireland's migrating birds. It spends thewinter in Africa and then visits Ireland from April to October. TheSwallow likes to nest on rafters in barns, under bridges or on cliff ledges.Did you know that Swallows usually return to the same nest each year?The Swallow is an elegant looking bird. Every Swallow also has a verydistinctive forked tail, but the female's tale is a little shorter than themale's. The Swallow is able to fly low over the rivers and ponds and dipits beak into the water for a drink!

BBllaacckkbbiirrdd TTuurrdduuss MMeerruullaa // LLoonn DDuubbhh

The Blackbird is one of the most common birds found in Ireland. Theymainly like to live in woodland areas, but can be seen all over thecountry hopping through hedges and searching for juicy worms on thelawn. It makes its nests in trees, brambly bushes and sometimes in oldbuildings. They have a very healthy diet, and love to eat fruit and seedsas well as insects, worms and snails! Did you know that the Blackbird isvery famous singer amongst our feathered friends? It sings a lovely flute-like song that you can hear very clearly in the dawn chorus.

WWrreennTTrrooggllooddyytteess TTrrooggllooddyytteess // DDrreeoollíínn

One of Ireland's smallest birds, also the most widespread, being foundin almost all habitats including farmland, woodland and even on cliffsand offshore islands. Listen for its rush-and-jumble song in summer andyou’ll find this species zipping through shrubs and low tree branches,snatching at insects. Wrens will gladly use nest boxes, or you may findtheir twig-filled nests in old cans, boots, or boxes lying around in yourgarage. In certain parts of the country the bird has associations in folktraditions. Hunting the wren is celebrated on "St Stephens Day" in Ireland(Boxing Day, Dec 26th.), especially in rural areas, where the Wrenboysgather, dress up and tour the local area with music, song and story.

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Information sourced from

Birdwatchireland.ie, askaboutireland.ie

Native Wildflower MeadowHabitat for birds large and small

CCrroowwCCoorrvvuuss CCoorroonnee // CCaarróógg

The call of the Crow is a familiar hoarse, cawing. They are commonsights in treetops, fields, and roadsides, and in habitats ranging fromopen woods and empty beaches to town centres. Crows are rarely foundalone, they are very social, sometimes forming flocks in the millions.Inquisitive and sometimes mischievous, Crows are good learners andproblem solvers, often raiding rubbish bins and picking over discardedfood containers. They’re also aggressive and often chase away largerbirds including hawks, Owls and Herons.

WWoooodd ppiiggeeoonnCCoolluummbbaa PPaalluummbbuuss // CCoollmm CCooiillllee

The largest of the Pigeons in Ireland, with a proportionally long tail andsmall head and a full breast. Wood Pigeons waddle when they walk,which adds to their general appearance of being overweight. WoodPigeons feed on green leaves, seeds, berries, buds, flowers and rootcrops, but will feed on almost anything that is placed on a bird table.They also drink a lot, mainly because they do not get sufficient moisturefrom their food unlike birds that eat Earthworms, etc. An interestingfeature about how they drink is that they use their beak like a straw,whereas other birds scoop the water up and throw their heads back tolet it flow down their throats. Like the Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeons makea hollow cooing sound.

RRooookkCCoorrvvuuss FFrruuggiilleegguuss // RRúúccaacchh

A species of Crow. All Crows have sturdy legs, strong bills and areintelligent and social in nature. Told apart from other species of crow byits 'trousers', the dropping feathers on its belly and the bare skin aroundits bill base on the adult birds. The Rook builds an untidy nest, usuallyquite high up in colonies in tree tops called rookeries. The Rook has ahoarse croaking call and when given in the colony can be very raucous.