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Mullaghderg

Donegal  >  Ireland

Part of The Wild Atlantic Way, this stunning beach and headland offers some great bird watching at any time of the year.

Added* by Andrew Hannaford
Most recent update 12 February 2020

Description

Mullaghderg is a spectacular coastal location consisting of beach, rugged headlands with many coves and inlets and coastal grassland. It is subject to winds from the west crossing the Atlantic. After periods of gales the bay at Mullaghderg can hold large numbers of Long-tailed Duck, Great Northern Diver, Common Eider and many other coastal birds.

Exploring the small bays and inlets can result in Black Guillemot, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone and Sanderling. Seals can be seen, and Dolphin regularly enter the bay to feed.

The coastal grasslands attract Peregrine Falcon, Merlin and Sparrowhawk. Red-billed Chough can be found feeding amongst the cattle. Large numbers of Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Skylark and Rock Pipit can be found.

Summer does bring lots of tourists and holiday makers exploring the Wild Atlantic Way to this area. Out of season, Spring and Autumn bring in good numbers of seabirds and the bay is a most for exploring after any Atlantic gale.

Details

Access

Mullaghderg (55.037281, -8.37008) can be accessed by following the Wild Atlantic Way from Dungloe in the south or Bunbeg in the north. The road to the beach is opposite the Gaelic Football pitch just before Mullaghduff if coming from Dungloe. At the end of this road is a car park. Please park here and do not drive over the grassland.

There is a boardwalk down onto the beach. Please note this beach has strong undertow currents and is not safe for swimming.

To explore the headland and coves just follow the coastline. There are a number of barbed wire fences, but these are easy to cross.

Terrain and Habitat

Beach , Grassland , Sea , Dunes

Conditions

Rocky , High water possible , Sandy

Circular trail

Yes

Is a telescope useful?

Yes

Good birding season

All year round

Best time to visit

Spring , Autumn , Autumn migration , Winter , Spring migration

Route

Narrow trail , Wide path

Difficulty walking trail

Average walk

Accessible by

Foot

Birdwatching hide / platform

No

Extra info

The popularity of this area has grown greatly in recent years. The beaches are spectacular, many being Blue Flag beaches. The area therefore can get busy in Summer but it is under birdwatched and offers great potential.

There are no facilities at Mullaghderg but there are good pubs nearby and Annagry has a number of cafes, fast food outlets and shops.

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

Map

Top 5 birds

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