Hare Island ASSI

This area is of special scientific interest because of its breeding waders and species-rich wet grassland. Species-rich grassland tends to occur only where land management is not intensive, in particular where traditional farming practices have been maintained. As a result, it is not a widespread habitat in Northern Ireland and is often fragmented, consisting of individual fields, parts of fields or banks. Species-rich wet grasslands, like those found at Hare Island, are a particularly scarce resource in Northern Ireland.

Hare Island is a lightly grazed drumlin island in Lower Lough Erne. The island has a central ridge sloping down to the lough shore. The combination of topography and the related soil hydrology has resulted in a range of species-rich wet grasslands on the island. These vary from rush pasture to fen meadow, with base-loving plants present throughout the area.
The island is one of the most important sites for breeding waders in Northern Ireland. This includes redshank, snipe, lapwing and curlew.The density of nests, at over 2 per hectare, is amongst the highest recorded in Northern Ireland.

The vegetation on the island is dominated by sharp-flowered rush, with a variety of grasses and sedges and in places is markedly species rich. This provides cover for nests and young birds. Other important factors for breeding birds are the heavy nature of the soils which remain wet even in summer and the adjoining lough shoreline, which provide an abundance of food for adults and young birds. The island is also relatively free from disturbance and predation.

Purple moor-grass and rush pasture occurs over much of the island, with fen meadow present at the lower elevations to the west of the island. Fen meadow is a particular type of purple moor-grass and rush pasture. It occurs on Hare Island where there is a steady hydrological influence flowing through the soil which results in the occurrence of species adapted to both water movement and wetter conditions. Species characteristic of this community on Hare Island include purple moor-grass, meadow thistle, meadowsweet, lesser spearwort, devil’s-bit scabious and tormentil.

Sedges are often important components within the sward and include tawny sedge, carnation sedge, yellow-sedge, flea sedge and glaucous sedge. There is also some more pronounced base-rich flushing at the base of the slope with black bog-rush.

On the central ridge of the island, the purple moor-grass and rush pasture tends to be less species-rich. Common species here include sharp-flowered rush, yorkshire-fog, creeping buttercup and white clover. This poorer rush pasture is prevalent throughout the eastern end of the island, where it forms a mosaic with drier more improved short turf of perennial rye-grass and crested dog’s-tail pasture.

Fringing the island’s shoreline are a variety of vegetation communities that add valuable diversity to the island’s habitats. A small patch of common reed swamp occurs to the east of the island growing over water horsetail. Exposed shore vegetation dominated by knotgrass occurs around the whole island, with scattered bottle sedge and marsh cinquefoil fen on the northern shore. Exposed sandier shoreline substrates to the north and the east have common spike-rush and locally abundant needle spike-rush.

The variation in hydrology and related topography, and past and present management has resulted in a considerable range of species present in a relatively small area.
In addition to the species already mentioned the following species of note were recorded – cowbane, common butterwort, small water-pepper, lesser pondweed and long-leaved pondweed

Woodland and scrub provides further diversity and adds to the conservation interest of the area. Tree and shrub species are mainly found as former field boundaries. Hawthorn is the main species with occasional downy birch and grey willow to the east with scots pine and ash around the ruins on the top of the ridge. Alder woodland is also present to the northwest of these ruins. Scattered gorse scrub forms an integral mosaic with the grasslands, particularly on the southern slopes.

Hare Island is an area of semi-natural grassland and associated that have been managed in a traditional way. As such, it provides valuable feeding and roosting sites for a range of animals, including invertebrates such as ringlet, red admiral, painted lady and meadow brown.

Site Related Documents

Site map (.PDF 600Kb), Citation document (.PDF 155Kb) and Views about Management document (.PDF 78Kb).