Flora and Fauna

Reeds, bulrushes and water lilies grow by certain shores on the lake. The reed 'Phragmites communis' can grow up to six feet tall in many instances and it likes swampy lake margins and wades out for a few yards up to the depth of a foot or so. The bulrush ' Scirpus Lacustris ' which is strictly speaking a sedge but looks like a rush keeps to the water and extends from the edge of the reed zone to a depth of three to four feet . At this depth the yellow lilies are to be found. The lilies grow down to approximately six feet and beyond them lies the open water .

There are however long stretches of shoreline where all you have is the pasture sweeping down to the shoreline leading at once to open water. The slope of the land and the lake bed may prevent the reeds from establishing themselves.

To the north-west of this large limestone lake is a large area of raised bog. Drainage of the River Inny over the years has reduced the water level of the lake and extensive areas of the lake bed are now exposed. These sand and mud banks once provided feeding for regular migrant waders, but are now overgrown and less attractive to shorebirds. Lough Derravaragh is an excellent wildfowl site in autumn and winter a flock of Greenland White-Fronted Geese. In August a large post-breeding congregation of Mallard and Pochard appear in the area. In October you have Tufted Duck and flocks of Coots. Small numbers of Mallard, Wigeon and Teal winter in the area along with other species such as Shoveler and Pintail. Whooper Swans are also regular visitors in winter. Derravaragh also has potential as an inland wader site. The sandy and muddy shore in the north-west corner of the lake attracts passage migrants in spring and autumn. Passage migrants which have been seen include : Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint, and Curlew Sandpiper .

In 2003 the Government declared Lough Derravaragh a natural heritage area (S.I . No 582 of 2003)