Members of the Conchogical Society are invited to attend for any part of the trip or for the entire excursion. All those wishing to attend should contact Julia at julia.nunn@magni.org.uk or 028 9181 7710
INTRODUCTION
The area of interest is in south Galway Bay (Sea Area 36). Surveys carried out by myself and Shelagh Smith have identified a number of shores which rank amongst the richest for marine molluscs in Ireland. 219 species of mollusc have been found at the sites to be visited (145 living).
Some molluscan species found on the shore in the area: Skenea serpuloides, Dikoleps pusilla, Alvania beanii, Graphis albida, Mangelia coarctata, Turbonilla lactea, Aeolidiella sanguinea, Arca tetragona, Devonia perrieri, Irus irus, Gastrochaena dubia. A number of interesting species have only been found as shells, which offers the possibility that they could be found alive.
A survey of brackish loughs in the area was undertaken in 2001 with a grant from the Praeger Committee (Royal Irish Academy), with Roy Anderson and Shelagh Smith. Shelagh and Roy will be participating in this excursion. A number of these lagoons may be visited.
The purpose of this field meeting is to introduce these rich shores to those interested; to survey them and record primarily the intertidal marine Mollusca; to record all other groups where there is appropriate experience; to visit a number of brackish loughs and to explore within the time available, parts of the terrestrial environment for non-marine molluscs.
The excursion is for 8 days, Sunday 23rd September to Sunday 30th September inclusive, to the Burren area, primarily the vicinity of Finavarra. The majority of the fieldwork will be intertidal, for five days from Wednesday 25th to Sunday 30th. The centre for the activities will be around Lisheen House, a large self-catering cottage near New Quay, and in the heart of the area that we will be exploring. There will be plenty of room for participants to work on material, to get help with identifications and to socialise. The house is within walking distance of Linane’s Bar.
A copy of all records generated will be passed to National Parks & Wildlife Service, Dublin, and entered into the Porcupine MNHS database.
PROGRAMME
There will be no fixed programme for Sunday 23rd to Tuesday 25th September – opportunities will be available to explore the Burren (I will have plenty of information about the various tourist ‘sights/sites to visit’ with me.
Wednesday, 26th September
Brackish/Freshwater: Lough Murree (4 species). Ventrosia ventrosa has been recorded here, and shells of Cerastoderma glaucum.
Marine: Carrickadda (flaggy shore) 151 species recorded (106 living) This site is a spit about 1km long. At the shore end there is a storm beach, then boulders on sand and gravel, patches of sand and Zostera marina to the south. The reef is composed of limestone, weathered and covered with fucoids. On the northern, more exposed, side there are channels with shell gravel. There are large rock pools with a rich variety of algae. Access is directly from the roadside.
Thursday 27th September
Marine: Srucorrafaan Rapids 73 species (all living).
Channel about 100m wide, with a strong ebb current flowing over a drop of at least 1.5m. It is largely a boulder shore and bedrock. There is good algal cover. Marine: Muckinsh maerl bed 141 species (93 living).
This site is a sheltered area within the very large lagoon above the Rapids, with a brisk current running across a maerl bed in a channel. There is gravel and clumps of fucoid at low water. At the lowest part of the shore, humps of living maerl and maerl gravel emerge. Almost half the channel is accessible by wading.
It will be possible to visit both sites on this tide, as low water on the maerl bed is 1.5- 2 hours later than at the Rapids.
Friday 28th September
Marine: Parknahallagh, north of Kinvarra 93 species (83 living)
This site is a partly sheltered mid level lagoon (shell sand and dead maerl floor) with boulders and a high density of algae. The lower shore is scattered boulders on gravel. In places there is dead and living maerl; patches of Zostera marina and oyster beds. The sand contains the echinoderm Leptosynapta together with Devonia perrieri. The shore is a short walk from the parking area.
Saturday 29th September
Non-marine recording will take the form of examining a range of micro-habitats on the Burren (sites not specified as yet, but public access) to determine the importance of certain species to certain habitats e.g. how important are the limestone walls or the small areas of scrub in maintaining the overall biodiversity. The group may be split into smaller units to cover more ground. The terrestrial fieldwork will be led by Evelyn Moorkens with Ian Killeen.
Marine: New Quay 100 species (91 living) New Quay consists of flat ledges of limestone, with some sand and gravel on them, together with limestone boulders. Many crevices. This site is walking distance from Lisheen House (300m) and overlooked by Linane’s Bar!
Sunday 30th September
Terrestrial: as for Saturday.
Brackish: Bishops Quarter lagoon (5 species) & Rine Lagoon (2 species). Littorina saxatilis tenenbrosa and Ovatella myosotis have been recorded here. Marine: Rine Point 140 species (71 species living).
This is a long spit (1.5-2km) ending in islets and reefs. There is a storm beach and sand on limestone. The outside is limestone ledges and pools, quite exposed, with a lot of sand covering which reduces the local fauna, but with considerable fucoid cover and some small algae. The inside is a large area of sand and mud with reefs, islets and channels. The provenance of the shell of Truncatella subcylindrica needs to be investigated. It is likely to be within Ballyvaughan Bay. Possibly the animals live not just under the surface boulders, but at greater depths within the storm beaches adjacent to seepages nearby.