Wexford Wildfowl Reserve

The Wexford Slobs are flat polders reclaimed from the harbour in the nineteenth century by Dutch engineers, drained and farmed ever since. What nobody intended was the effect on birds: the combination of wet grassland, stubble and shelter turned out to suit Greenland white-fronted geese exactly, and around a third of the entire world population of the subspecies now winters here - roughly ten thousand birds, arriving in October from Greenland via Iceland and leaving in April. Brent geese, whooper and Bewick's swans, wigeon, godwits and a long list of waders use the same ground. The reserve has a visitor centre, a tower hide with a view over the fields, and several ground-level hides connected by paths. Outside the winter months there is far less to see - the geese are gone and the reserve is quiet, which catches summer visitors out.

Highlights

• The white-fronted geese - around a third of the world population, in winter.
• The polders - flat reclaimed land engineered in the nineteenth century.
• The hides - a tower and several ground-level hides over the fields.
• The other wildfowl - Brent geese, swans, wigeon and waders.

When to go

October to April is the entire point - the geese arrive in October and leave in April, with numbers peaking mid-winter. Summer visits show very little.

Practical notes

Almost nothing to see between May and September. Birds are distant - bring binoculars, and a telescope if you have one. The visitor centre keeps limited hours. Flat, exposed and cold in winter, which is when you have to come.

Nearby

Curracloe and the Raven are north; Wexford town is south.

Key facts