Inland

Inland from the Lough's shores, the most striking scenery is the drumlin landscape of the area. There are very few areas where the landscape has not been modified by man's activities yet the rolling hills and hollows hosts a great richness for wildlife. 

Of the 155 species of bird recorded in Northern Ireland during the surveys for the B.T.O./I.W.C. Winter Bird Atlas,122 or 79% were present on Strangford Lough and its hinterland.

 

Large flocks of birds like Redwings, Fieldfares, Yellowhammers, Finches and TreeSparrows can be seen working their way along the dense hedgerows in winter. These hedgerows also provide `corridors' for species like Badgers and Foxes, whilst dry stone walls are an ideal habitat for Stoats. In many areas, particularly in the south of the Lough, there are still large numbers of Irish Hares.

There are also a number of landscape features that are not amenable to agriculture, and therefore even `well managed' farmland has retained its interest in places. One of these features is the number of steep drumlin banks eroded by wave action during the periods of higher sea level after the Great Ice Age. They have remained uncultivated, and apart from occasional burning, are covered in impenetrable thickets of Gorse, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Ash and Sycamore. These are ideal places for Foxes and Badgers and where the thickets overlook the shore it is often possible to find Stonechats and Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus), whilst the long grasses and tangles of Brambles may hold wildfowl nests.