North Bull Island Nature Reserve

The North Bull Island is a small island located in Clontarf, Dublin. It's a small island consisting mainly of sand dunes and salt marshes. It evolved over last 200 years in the shallow Clontarf waters in Dublin Bay. Thousand years ago the Viking's fleet landed around that area to have a famous Battle of Clontarf.

Now the island is wild recreation area for Dubliners and a Nature Reserve with unique ecosystem which gives home to millions of migrating birds.

And it's one of my favorite places in Dublin for walking and photo-shooting. Almost every day I walk over the island and enjoy nature.

The Island is permanent and temporary home for millions of birds. Some of the are permanent habitants of the island and near-by St. Anne's park, like herons, little egrets, various songbirds and birds of prey.

Birds from other the world find temporary home during their migration over the year. It's not stopping movement which creates an exciting ecosystem where every week you can new birds coming and leaving the island and stay during various seasons allowing to see them in natural environment.

And the island's fauna is not just birds. Wide range of sea life presents in the shores around the island, including fish, shellfish, crabs and shrimps which is also why birds love the island which provides great source of food for its animal habitants. Mouses and rats give food for birds of prey and foxes come to island for night hunt.

And harbor and grey seals have their "kinder garden" at north side of the island where they rest on the beach with their pups.

If you live in Dublin or visiting Ireland and have some free time, you can come to this beautiful sanctuary and enjoy nature, sea and a small and unique Island's wildlife ecosystem!