Harper’s Island Wetlands Bird Identification Guide: We have put together a downloadable pdf. It gives a short introduction to the wetland birds of Harper’s Island and has images and descriptions of the birds you are likely to see on a visit to the Wetlands. It is for personal use only and the information in the guide may not be copied or used elsewhere without permission. 

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Bird Identification Guide

Harper’s Island Wetlands Bird Checklist (2021): This is a checklist of all the birds seen at Harper’s Island Wetlands since 1990. It includes graphic information showing when is the best time to see any particular species. It also lists all records of the birds only rarely seen on the reserve.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Bird Checklist

Harper’s Island Wetlands Butterfly Identification Guide: This is a pdf identification guide to the butterflies that have been recorded at Harper’s Island Wetlands.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Butterfly Identification Guide (2021)

‘Harper’s Island Wetlands – Its History & Wildlife’ Booklet (2021): This booklet covers the history of Harper’s Island from Anglo-Norman times to the present day, the history of the Harper’s Island Wetlands project and an overview of the wildlife of Harper’s Island.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands – Its History & Wildlife

Harper’s Island Wetlands Map

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Map

Harper’s Island Wetlands Tide Tables (2023): Wetland birds can be seen on the reserve at any time but the largest number and variety can be seen at high tide and especially during spring high tides. Spring high tides are very high high tides and occur throughout the year. This publication will help you plan your visits to the reserve to coincide with high tides during opening hours in 2023. As well as a brief explanation of how the tides work and how they affect the wetland birds, it includes monthly tide tables for 2023 with all high tides occurring during opening hours highlighted and colour coded to indicates if the tide is OK/GOOD/BEST for viewing the wetland birds from the viewing hides.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Tide Tables 2023

Harper’s Island Wetlands Aquatic Fauna Survey Report (2022): This report, funded by the Heritage Council and carried out by ecologist Geoff Oliver, is an in-depth survey of the aquatic fauna to be found on the nature reserve. The survey discovered a species of beetle never before recorded in Ireland.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Aquatic Fauna Survey (2022)

Harper’s Island Wetlands Dry Grassland Botanical Survey Report (2021): This report, funded by the Heritage Council and carried out by Blackthorn Ecology, is an in-depth survey of the plants growing within the looped section of our nature trail at the southern end of the reserve. If you want to know more about the beautiful flowers and grasses that grow there this is for you.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Dry Grassland Survey (2021)

Harper’s Island Wetlands Conservation Management Plan 2020-2024: We have developed a conservation management plan for Harper’s Island Wetlands which will guide our conservation work on the island for the next five years.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Conservation Management Plan 2020-2024

Harper’s Island Wetlands Benthic Faunal and Biomass Assessment  – Autumn 2020: This is a report on the Benthic fauna of the wetlands at HIW. This report presents a valuable baseline study that will inform future conservation actions.

Download here: Benthic Faunal and Biomass Assessment of Harper’s Island Wetlands – Autumn 2020

Harper’s Island Wetlands Butterfly & Moth Survey (2020): This is a report on the butterflies and moths to be found at Harper’s Island Wetlands and contains the results of a survey of the moths during 2019/20.

Download here: Harper’s Island Wetlands Butterfly & Moth Survey (2020)

Harper’s Island Botanical Survey: This report presents the results of a walkover botanical survey of the saltmarsh and wet grassland zones in the Harper’s Island Wetlands, which Tom Gittings carried out in August-September 2018.

Download here: Botanical Survey of Saltmarsh and Wet Grassland Zones 2018

Harper’s Island Farmhouse Bat Survey 2018/19: An excellent report by Dr. Isobel Abbott of Abbott Ecology on the bats of Harper’s Island using the old Farmhouse building.

Download here: Harper’s Island Farmhouse Bat Survey 2018/19

Harper’s Island Artificial Sand Martin Nesting Bank Construction Manual: A step by step guide to building our hugely successful artificial nesting bank for Sand Martins. All 24 nesting burrows were occupied in the first year.

Download here: Harper’s Island Artificial Sand Martin Nesting Bank Construction Manual (2022)