Craigavon Borough Council

The rich diversity of habitats around Lough Neagh offers excellent opportunities for birdwatching all year round.

Oxford Island has discreet birdwatching hides, some of which are designed for wheel chair access, which provide open vistas onto the water where the hidden world of birds feeding, courting and nesting are revealed. The superhide overlooking Kinnego Bay is comfortable and safe in all seasons. Winter often brings several thousand diving duck with rarities such as smew, ring necked and long tailed duck in amongst the rafts of pochard, tufted duck and goldeneye. Surrounding farmland frequently sees flocks of whooper and bewick swans. In summer, the Lough and its shores provide support for grebe, mallard, terns, warblers, finches and coot.

Lurgan Park Lake offers a very good range of the common wildfowl species but also occasionally the rarer species such as the ring necked duck are seen.

The Craigavon Lake South is extensively used for watersports, but this does not deter a number of regular visitors including pochard, tufted duck, mallard, coot and grebe. Priority in managing the North Lake is accorded to wildlife and game angling.