Washing Bay

Having negotiated the minor roads that lead from Junction 14 of the M1 motorway and arrived at the edge of Lough Neagh at Washing Bay, I park beside the GAA playing fields. Pausing for a bite of lunch before exploring the area, I am treated to displays of frenetic fly-chasing by the local pied wagtails. They seem to be all around the car park and on the pitches beyond, where their antics make the feeding starlings and jackdaws look decidedly sluggish. Suddenly a sparrowhawk flies by, passing low over the grass and scattering the wagtails and starlings. As it reaches the trees it swoops upwards, mobbed by a flock of small birds. Sparrowhawks must rarely get any peace while hunting.

Washing Bay lies in the south west corner of Lough Neagh. Four hectares of the shore line have been designated as a Local Nature Reserve, noted particularly for two habitats: fens and wet woodland. Fens act as nature’s cleansing systems, and beside the car park there is a demonstration area showing how these specialised wetlands can be used to treat sewage in a sustainable manner. The plant roots filter out bacteria from effluent thus releasing clean water – in this case into neighbouring Lough Neagh. Fens need to be managed to prevent them drying out and turning, through natural succession, into woodland. Thankfully, steps are being taken to protect the fens at Washing Bay, and they will continue to provide a habitat for species such as reed bunting, sedge warbler and the common darter dragonfly.

I follow the path along the wooded shoreline. Around me stand alders and willows, two trees that favour damp conditions. Beneath them is a good show of Himalayan balsam. Despite the fact that the pinkish-purple flowers of this plant attract bees and other insects, the species is problematic, for it restricts the growth of native plants - which for this reserve includes marsh marigold, woodruff, flag iris and marsh cinquefoil. Children from nearby St John’s and Aughamullan Primary Schools have been involved in helping to clear the balsam, but the plant is persistent, and is starting to reappear. Another balsam bashing session is required. And local involvement doesn’t stop with the schools - the site is managed by Dungannon Council in partnership with Muintir na Mointeach community group. Exactly what Local Nature Reserves are all about.

Here and there the tree foliage is less dense and affords glimpses of Lough Neagh beyond the reed beds. I pause to watch some of the resident mute swans: they look graceful as always. In wintertime they would be accompanied by visiting whooper swans, but today their entourage comprises a flock of several dozen pochard and tufted duck. From the small bird watching shelter along the path I also spot herring gulls, cormorants, common terns and a single dabchick.

Throughout the reserve there are several information panels highlighting features of interest. From one I learn that meadowsweet was traditionally used as a digestive remedy. Another explains that the small river along the southern boundary of the reserve is called Holy River, renowned since the 1700s for its therapeutic qualities. The sick would gather around midnight in midsummer and wash in the river using red flannel rags. These were then hung from trees in the belief that when the cloth rotted the owners would be healed. The practice is supposed to have died out in the 1950s but I find several pieces of red cloth adorning a nearby alder, suggesting that some still continue to search for healing. Indeed, the very name Washing Bay is derived from the reputed curing properties of the water around these parts.

As I make my way back along the path, a pair of bullfinches flies through the canopy. To my mind these are the smartest of our finches: the male has a red breast, black cap and a distinctive white rump. Bullfinches are sadly declining in Northern Ireland, and the glimpse of this wonderful bird is a special moment. It reminds me of why I make the effort to visit local reserves: you never know what you’ll see around the next corner when you spend time out and about with nature.