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Booterstown Marsh

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown  >  Ireland

This is a remnant of the former extensive coastal marshes that have been enclosed by the railway and roads and drained. The area is water and mud with islands.

Added* by Axel Kirby
Most recent update 17 april 2023

Description

Booterstown Marsh is a small reserve south of Dublin. It is an important haven for waders forced off nearby beaches by rising tides. Surrounding scrub and trees provide a small wilderness, rare in this urban area and songbirds can be present.

Details

Access

The reserve is immediately adjacent to the busy R118 main road and it's further constricted by a railway and station carpark. Travel by public transport is straightforward: Booterstown station is immediately adjacent and is served by frequent suburban trains on the DART system and frequent bus routes serve nearby bus stops. Car access is possible, but parking is restricted, during the working day, to the station car park, where a fee is payable. At some off peak times, free parking is possible on the main road opposite the reserve (check displays).

The reserve is viewable from the main road, where access by bikes and wheelchairs is easy. A footpath extends to the railway at the northwest end, but this is unsuitable for wheelchairs.

Terrain and Habitat

Forest , Wetland , Lake , Mud flats , Scattered trees and bushes , City/village

Conditions

Flat , Wet

Circular trail

No

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

All year round

Best time to visit

Winter

Route

Wide path , Narrow trail

Difficulty walking trail

Easy

Accessible by

Foot , Wheelchair

Birdwatching hide / platform

No

Extra info

Despite its busy urban surroundings, the reserve attracts little interest and few birders, which is a shame. This location can be added to a visit to nearby Merrion Gates and Sandymount Strand. High tides (see the link to the tide table below) will cause more waders to use the reserve.

Near the station entrance, there's a small tidal channel which can be worth a look. The station footbridge gives an elevated view of the Strand and access to it, without need for a ticket.

Links

View other birding spots in the area that are published on Birdingplaces

Map

Top 5 birds

Other birds you can see here

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