Cullybackey and Clogh Mills Drumlins Biodiversity Profile
In the following account of this LCA it should be noted that for consistency, the biodiversity section follows the standard order for all LCAs even though some of the communities discussed later may have more importance for biodiversity than those discussed earlier
Key Characteristics
- woodlands account for less than 2% of the land cover
- almost all woodland is broadleaved/mixed and is in demesnes or other planted areas
- grassland accounts for about 76% of the land cover (NI average 71%); over four-fifths of this is in improved pasture (NI average about 70%)
- significant areas of damp and acid grasslands particularly important for breeding waders
- contains, along the R. Main, one of the most important concentrations of lowland raised bogs in Northern Ireland
- raised bogs have large intact domes with good microtopography and rare species, especially of bog mosses; makes these bogs of national and international importance
- rivers of importance for Priority Species and salmonid fish.
Woodlands
Woodlands account for less than 2% of the land cover; almost all is in broadleaved/mixed woodland and most of that is associated with demesnes and other planted areas (lowland woodland pasture and parkland) that are concentrated in the north at Lisanoure and in the south along the R. Main between Gledheather and Galgorm. At Lisanoure willow, alder and birch wet woodland around the lough are followed by dry, ash-dominated woodland with occasional beech, birch and sycamore and some elm. The field layer is almost continuous bramble with occasional broad buckler fern and bracken in parts. There is some sparse wood sorrel and wood anemone and, where not covered in plant litter, there is a good moss cover. Sycamore saplings provide most of the understorey although there is rhododendron in parts. To the west of the estate there are coniferous plantations.
The several estates that stretch between the Galgorm Manor Hotel and Gledheather are dominated by beech; other broadleaves include ash, sycamore, oak and lime. Larch and Scots pine are the most frequent conifers. Springmount is surrounded by similar species. With a dense canopy of beech, grazing, and in some cases heavy management (mowing, clearing etc), the understorey (rhododendron and cherry laurel in parts) and herb layer are relatively poor. However, because of their extent further investigation of their biodiversity is required.
Grassland and Arable
Grassland accounts for about 76% of the land cover (NI average 71%); over four-fifths of this is in improved pasture (NI average about 70%). Arable land, which includes grass re-seeding, occupies about 10% of the land, a relatively high figure for Northern Ireland (average c.6.5%).
Improved pastures are generally of low biodiversity as a result of relatively intensive management. Some of the pastures are sown grasslands dominated by ryegrass and few other species - low biodiversity is in-built. Other grasslands have been converted to improved pastures through management. High levels of grazing or repeated cutting for silage, high inputs of fertilizers and slurry, and selective herbicides serve to reduce diversity of both flora and fauna. However, within areas generally of improved pastures there are individual fields or patches of small fields in damp areas that, together with occasional arable fields, provide a mosaic of conditions that increases the biodiversity, especially of birds. Many of the Priority Species of birds are therefore found in the farmlands of this LCA; records include curlew, reed bunting, song thrush, spotted flycatcher, linnet, skylark and yellowhammer.
Inter-drumlin wet grasslands, often dominated by rushes but also including acid grasslands on poorly-reclaimed former cut-over bogs, are predominantly in the south of the LCA. Here fields tend to be smaller and the hedges overgrown and gappy. In the north, away from the raised bogs in the Main valley, the better drained land has larger fields with well-maintained hedges, principally of hawthorn and with few trees. Hedges are often the most significant wildlife habitat over much of lowland Northern Ireland where improved pastures dominate, providing a refuge for many woodland and farmland plants and animals.
Aside from in the inter-drumlin hollows, acid and damp grasslands are extensive on the larger cutover bogs in the north of the LCA, notably in The Isles. Here, despite broad, active drains that form the 'field' boundaries, there is a mosaic of formerly or poorly improved grasslands dominated by rushes, degraded margins of raised bog with heather and cotton sedge, and purple moor-grass dominated stretches. There are records for relatively high numbers of breeding pairs of lapwing, and also records of breeding curlew and snipe.
Heaths and Bogs
This LCA contains one of the most important concentrations of lowland raised bogs in Northern Ireland; that is, those along the R. Main. In the north, three raised bogs have been grouped into the Main Valley Bogs SAC - Caldanagh Bog ASSI, Dunloy Bog ASSI and Frosses Bog ASSI. Although pool development on each bog is limited, they display the classic dome formation with hummocks and hollows. The relatively rare hummock-forming bog-mosses Sphagnum fuscum and S. imbricatum occur on each of the bogs and the nationally rare S. pulchrum is abundant in places. Unusually for Northern Ireland, Caldanagh and Dunloy bogs have areas of intact lagg (the surrounds of a raised bog that have more mobile water and usually dominated by large tussocks of grasses, including purple moor grass); past cutting has removed most laggs in Northern Ireland.
Frosses Bog in contrast, has extensive cutting around the margins so that no lagg remains. The marginal cutting has produced a mosaic of habitats dependent on peat-depth and age of cutting; these range from acid pools with Sphagnum mosses through acid grassland to fen and swamp. The abundance of cranberry throughout the intact area is notable and the presence of crowberry is an unusual feature for a lowland raised bog. Killycreen Bog lies across the R. Main to the east of Frosses; although a raised bog, its surface is drier than the others and there are no evident pools.
Outwith the R. Main, several lowland bogs are found between the drumlins on the eastern side of the LCA. In the north these include Ballylough, Ballyveely and Black Lough. Although there is some intact bog, particularly at Black Lough, most of the surfaces have been cut-over, drained or reclaimed; there is also recent and active peat extraction. Resulting from this past and present activity, there is a diversity of habitats; parts have bare peat, in other sections birch and gorse are colonising, and yet others have leggy common heather. Where shrub vegetation such as willow, birch or gorse occurs on a bog, additional species of birds can be attracted: these would typically include linnet, stonechat and whinchat. In the south, between the A26 and the R. Main there are several small bogs, but all have been cut-over.
Raised bogs, including those cut-over, and adjacent damp grasslands are important sites for breeding waders - lapwing, curlew and snipe - all recorded in this LCA.
Wetlands and Lakes
Two lakes in this LCA were surveyed by the Northern Ireland Lake Survey. Lough Guile was classified as a moderately enriched eutrophic lake. (eutrophic standing waters) of the type that probably has the highest diversity of aquatic macrophytes in a eutrophic water body. Troopers Hill Lough was classed as of low priority type for biodiversity.
At Lough Guile the lough edge supports several wetland communities that are frequently backed by carr or by dry woodland. In parts, a fringing reedbed of great reed-mace and yellow flag gives way to a floating swamp with these two species but also abundant creeping buttercup, water horsetail and marsh bedstraw. On the western side of the lough there is sometimes a narrow band of bottle sedge backed by either willow carr or areas of soft rush. Such areas of fen (also present at Trooper's Lough) and wet woodland are scarce in the LCA.
The River Bush, Clogh River and River Main all have river water-crowfoot and the otter is found in these and many of the smaller rivers. The Bush and the Main are also salmonid rivers.
Key Issues
General actions for UK and NI Priority Habitats and Priority Species are detailed in the Habitat Action Plans and Species Action Plans.
WOODLANDS
Issue: low woodland cover of variable biodiversity value
Actions:
- enhance the biodiversity value of demesne/parkland woodland through control of grazing and felling; by encouraging planting of saplings of the standard trees; by preventing further loss of parkland; by retention of fallen and veteran trees (particularly for bryophytes, ferns, fungi and fauna); by controlling the spread and dominance of sycamore
- further study of the history and ecology of demesne and other broadleaved woodlands particularly any ancient and long-established, as a key to future management
- encourage planting of native broadleaved woodlands, through appropriate grant schemes, rather than the small conifer plantations which are of poor biodiversity and landscape value.
GRASSLAND AND ARABLE
Issue: poor biodiversity of farmland
Actions:
- maintain and improve field boundaries especially hedgerows . This may be achieved through adoption of correct cutting cycles; hedge laying and replanting where necessary; leaving saplings uncut to develop into hedgerow trees; avoidance of spraying with fertilizers, slurry, herbicides; provision of wildlife strips and conservation headlands around fields; and limitation of field amalgamation
- encourage (through participation in Environmental Schemes) adoption of less intensive management of pastures to allow reversion to more species-rich grassland and protect unsown areas of species-rich grassland, especially damp grasslands
- leave stubble over winter, rather than autumn ploughing, to increase food resources for farmland birds; spring sown cereals are beneficial to breeding farmland birds
- in view of the importance of the area to breeding waders, encourage farmers to join schemes to foster waders - e.g. lapwing scheme of RSPB
- maintain and enhance wet grassland by restricting field or arterial drainage
HEATH AND BOGS
Issue: raised bogs of national and international importance
Actions:
- maintain the integrity of existing lowland raised bogs by for example, preventing infilling, fly-tipping, fires, new drainage and new peat cutting
- restore raised bog habitats through appropriate water level management, removal of colonizing conifers (as at Frosses) and phasing out peat cutting
- ensure that adjacent raised bogs are treated as a unit for conservation, including intervening areas, so that activities outside the bogs do not affect them
WETLANDS
Issue: eutrophic lake and rivers of importance to Priority Species and salmonid fish
Actions:
- protect water quality of lakes and rivers through nutrient management, thus
- promote and encourage existing good farming practices so that streams and lakes are not polluted by run-off from agricultural land or seepage from silage pits
- continued monitoring of streams below industrial plants
- monitor streams in relation to expansion of rural/urban housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants
- monitor suspended and deposited sediments in relation to peat cutting and river quality (in particular for salmonid fish)
