Ythan Estuary
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2011) |
Designations | |
---|---|
Official name | Ythan Estuary & Meikle Loch |
Designated | 30 March 1998 |
Reference no. | 939[1] |
The Ythan Estuary (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Eithein) is the
The Ythan Estuary is a designated
Topography and geometry
North of the estuary mouth extend the
At its widest point the Ythan Estuary is approximately 780 metres (2,560 ft) wide. The verges of the upper reaches range from extensive mudflats to marsh and fen. Further upstream is a small island known as Geck Island (grid reference NJ999278) inaccessible to waders even at low tide, and which is a haven for cormorants. The broader landscape drained by the Ythan near the coast is a generally mild sloping farmland known as the Buchan plain, which is virtually devoid of trees. In the glacial era, the Ythan River at this point would have been a torrent of melt waters streaming down from the Scottish Highlands.
Archaeology
Ecology
There are several distinct
At the river mouth species of birds include
Conservation status
Based upon Articles 4.1 and 4.2 of the European Union Directive 79/409/EEC this site qualifies as a
Per Article 4.1, Annex I, the Ythan Estuary complex supports the following significant bird populations during the breeding season:
- Common tern Sterna hirundo, 265 pairs representing up to 2.2% of the breeding population in Great Britain.
- Little tern Sterna albifrons, 41 pairs representing up to 1.7% of the total breeding population in Great Britain
- Sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis, 600 pairs representing up to 4.3% of the breeding population in Great Britain
The Ythan Estuary also is qualified per Article 4.2 of the EU Directive by sustaining the following winter migratory species population of European significance:
- Pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus, 7213 individuals representing up to 7.7% of the mean wintering Eastern Greenland/Iceland/United Kingdom population
See also
- Fowlsheugh
- Wetland
- Important bird area
References
- ^ "Ythan Estuary & Meikle Loch". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ISBN 0-7136-5693-X
- ^ Ramsar List of SSSI in the United Kingdom (2006)
- ^ Ingold, P (1991) Competition for feeding areas and dominance relationships among shelducks Tadorna tadorna with broods, (1991) Ornis Scand 22 (1): 27-32
- ^ Graeme Warren, Sands of Forvie, UCD (Dublin) School of Archaeology, prepared for Historic Scotland and the Aberdeenshire Council (2005)
- ^ Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Lumina Technologies, Aberdeen Library archives, June, 2004 [1]
- ^ Sandy Anderson, Birdwatching around the Ythan Estuary, Scottish Bird News No. 24 (December, 1991)
- ^ JNCC. "Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch SPA description". Retrieved 8 May 2007.