Corrie Fee

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Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) [1]
The Corrie of Fee - geograph.org.uk - 1534497.jpg
The Corrie of Fee
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Location Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland
Coordinates 56°51′41″N3°13′44″W / 56.86139°N 3.22889°W / 56.86139; -3.22889
Area164 ha (410 acres) [2]
Established2005
Governing body NatureScot
Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve

Corrie Fee is a glacier-carved corrie situated at the head of Glen Clova in the Angus Glens of Scotland. It forms part of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve (NNR), which is managed by NatureScot and lies within the Cairngorms National Park. The adjoining Corrie Sharroch and the slopes of Craig Rennet are also included in the NNR. [2]

Contents

The corrie is considered to be one of the finest examples of a glacial corrie in the British Isles, with its steep cliffs forming a natural amphitheatre. [3] The wider reserve hosts many rare arctic-alpine plants, including the largest area of montane willow scrub in Scotland, which is found at Corrie Sharroch. [4] The importance of the area's flora has been recognised by botanists since the 18th Century, and the site is now protected by numerous national and international conservation designations. [3]

Geology and geomorphology

Morraines in Corrie Fee Moraine, Corrie Fee. - geograph.org.uk - 456691.jpg
Morraines in Corrie Fee

Corrie Fee has a complex geology, consisting of many different types of rock. Underlying the area are metamorphic rocks known as Dalradian rocks, which were formed around 600 million years ago during a period when the continent of Laurentia, which included Scotland and North America, began to collide with two other continents, Baltica (modern Scandinavia) and Avalonia (modern England). Dalradian rocks tend to be acidic, however at Corrie Fee there are also more basic rocks that are derived from muddy lime-rich sediments and volcanic material. These basic rocks are easily eroded, and form calcium-rich soils that support many lime-loving plants. The corrie also has outcrops of amphibolite, and intrusions of magma have formed sills that have a similar composition to the amphibolite. [5]

The current landscape of the Scottish Highlands was largely formed during the last ice age. At Corrie Fee, small independent glaciers cut corries during the last period of the Ice Age, called the Loch Lomond Readvance, when the weight and movement of the ice ground out the bottom and wore back the sides of the corrie to produce the steep, U-shape amphitheatre of cliffs evident today. The glaciers deposited the eroded spoil as moraines. There are several types of moraine on the corrie floor, including lateral boulder moraines, fluted moraines below the corrie lip, and hummocky moraines. The presence of these moraines has led the Fee Burn to take a highly meandering path through the lower corrie. [6]

Flora and fauna

Heath Spotted Orchid in Corrie Fee Heath Spotted Orchid, Corrie Fee. - geograph.org.uk - 470377.jpg
Heath Spotted Orchid in Corrie Fee

The Corrie Fee NNR supports Scotland's largest area of montane willow scrub, which is found in Corrie Sharroch in the southern part of the reserve. This type of habitat is one of the rarest and most endangered in the UK, and is now found only in the higher mountains of the Scottish Highlands, chiefly in the central Highlands. It survives as an example of the typical vegetation of the post-glacial period, growing on moist, relatively base-rich soils: due to the effects of grazing by red deer and sheep it is now only found on lightly grazed areas such as ledges, steep rocky slopes or boulder fields. In 2009, following fears that the montane willow scrub plants were isolated and unable to reproduce, more than 800 young montane willow shrubs were planted in the NNR by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. [3] [4] [7]

Many other rare plants are also found at Corrie Fee. These include purple colt's-foot, which although common in Scandinavia and the Alps, is found nowhere else in Britain. This plant was first noted at Corrie Fee in 1813 by George Don, and it has been speculated that he may have introduced it to the corrie. Other rarities include yellow oxytropis, alpine blue sow-thistle, and two species of small woodsia fern: alpine woodsia and oblong woodsia. [8]

Many species of mountain birds, including ring ouzel, peregrine falcons, twite and raven can be seen in the NNR, and are joined by swallows and house martins during the summer. Golden eagles can occasionally be seen hunting over the reserve. Corrie Fee supports many species of mammal, including red deer, fox, pine marten, mole, common shrew, rabbit, weasel, bank vole, field vole and wood mouse. [9] Over-grazing by deer is known to be detrimental to many of the rare plants present in the NNR, and in 1991 a fence was erected to enclose an area of around 60 ha in Corrie Sharroch. Efforts have also been made to reduce deer numbers across the wider Caenlochan area in order to reduce grazing pressure by agreement with neighbouring estates. [10]

Conservation designations

Corrie Fee first became part of a National Nature Reserve in 1961, when the Caenlochan NNR was designated. This NNR covered a much wider area than the current reserve, and was mostly under private ownership. In 1985 the Nature Conservancy Council, the predecessor organisation to SNH, purchased 164 ha of land within the NNR at Corrie Fee and Corrie Sharroch. In 2000 SNH began a review of NNRs, reflecting the fact that other conservation designations now offered stronger protection than was previously available: this resulted in the NNR being reduced and renamed in 2005, with the new Corrie Fee NNR being confined to the area under SNH ownership. [11] The Corrie Fee NNR is classified as a Category VI protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [1]

The wider Caenlochan area continues to have statutory protection as a Special Area of Conservation, [12] [13] a Site of Special Scientific Interest, [14] and a Special Protection Area for upland breeding birds. [15] A second SPA designation, Cairngorms Massif, also covers the area of the NNR. [16]

Corrie Fee also lies within the Cairngorms National Park and the Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area. [17]

Visitors

Around 14,000 visitors visit the Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve each year. [18] In 2008 a visitor centre was constructed at end of the public road in Glen Doll by a partnership of Angus Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Forestry and Land Scotland. [18] From the centre a path follows the Fee Burn, through Glen Doll Forest (owned by Forestry and Land Scotland), to reach Corrie Fee; the path continues up through the corrie to reach the summit plateau. [19] From the visitor centre to the top of the corrie is a distance of about 5 km. [20] The path through Corrie Fee is one of the main routes to and from the summit of Mayar, which is often climbed in conjunction with its neighbour Dreish. [21]

Corrie Fee is a noted location for winter climbing, with many short routes. [22] NatureScot have expressed concerns that climbing on routes in the spring may disturb breeding raptors. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NatureScot</span> Scottish government agency for natural heritage conservation

NatureScot is the operating name for the body formally called Scottish Natural Heritage. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservation, and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e. national nature reserves, local nature reserves, national parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and the national scenic areas. It receives annual funding from the Government in the form of Grant in Aid to deliver Government priorities for the natural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National nature reserve (Scotland)</span>

The national nature reserves (NNRs) of Scotland are areas of land or water designated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as containing habitats and species of national importance. National nature reserves can be owned by public, private, community or voluntary organisations but must be managed to conserve their important habitats and species, as well as providing opportunities for the public to enjoy and engage with nature. There are currently 43 NNRs in Scotland, which cover 154,250 hectares (1,542.5 km2), or less than 1.5% of the land area of Scotland. They range in size from Corrieshalloch Gorge at 7 ha to Mar Lodge Estate, which covers 29,324 ha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cairngorms</span> Mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland

The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national park on 1 September 2003. Although the Cairngorms give their name to, and are at the heart of, the Cairngorms National Park, they only form one part of the national park, alongside other hill ranges such as the Angus Glens and the Monadhliath, and lower areas like Strathspey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cairngorms National Park</span> National park in Scotland

Cairngorms National Park is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which was set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and surrounding hills. Already the largest national park in the United Kingdom, in 2010 it was expanded into Perth and Kinross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beinn Eighe</span> Mountain massif in the Scottish Highlands

Beinn Eighe is a mountain massif in the Torridon area of Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. Lying south of Loch Maree, it forms a long ridge with many spurs and summits, two of which are classified as Munros: Ruadh-stac Mòr at 1,010 m (3,314 ft) and Spidean Coire nan Clach at 993 m (3,258 ft). Unlike most other hills in the area it has a cap of Cambrian basal quartzite which gives the peaks of Beinn Eighe a distinctive light colour. Its complex topography has made it popular with both hillwalkers and climbers and the national nature reserve on its northern side makes it an accessible mountain for all visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Wyvis</span> Mountain in Highland, Scotland, UK

Ben Wyvis is a mountain in Easter Ross, in the northern Highlands of Scotland. It lies north-west of Dingwall, in the council area of Highland, and the county of Ross and Cromarty. Ben Wyvis is a large winding and undulating ridge running roughly north–south for about 5 km, the highest point of which is Glas Leathad Mòr at 1,046 metres (3,432 ft). Geologically, the ridge is composed of Moine pelitic gneiss. The mountain is prominent in views of the area, presenting a whale-back shape above the farmland of Strathconon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creag Meagaidh</span> Mountain in the Scottish Highlands

Creag Meagaidh is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Spean in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a complex mountain, made up of a flat summit plateau, with five ridges spreading out from it, overlooking five deep corries; it is most famed for the cliffs surrounding the corrie of Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face. These crags are a renowned venue for ice climbing. Creag Meagaidh rises to 1,130 metres (3,710 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenmore Forest Park</span>

Glenmore Forest Park is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest near Aviemore in the Badenoch and Strathspey district of Highland, Scotland. Owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, it lies within the Cairngorms National Park, and is one of six forest parks in the country. The forest park, which was established in 1948, covers 35.7 km2, of which 21.1 km2 is designated as a national nature reserve (NNR). Glenmore surrounds Loch Morlich, and is below the rise of the Cairngorms to the south; to the north the park extends to the summit of Meall a' Bhuachaille. The forest forms part of an expanse of Caledonian Forest that stretches from Glen Feshie to Abernethy, and which as a whole forms the largest single area of this habitat remaining in Scotland. It is home to much wildlife including Scottish crossbills, crested tits, capercaillie, narrow-headed ants, red squirrels and red deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abernethy Forest</span>

Abernethy Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park, close to the villages of Nethy Bridge, Boat of Garten, and Aviemore. The forest is an RSPB reserve, close to Loch Garten Osprey Centre, which is also owned by the RSPB. It is popular with walkers, as there are various trails throughout the reserve. The forest forms part of the wider Abernethy National Nature Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caenlochan</span>

Caenlochan is a glen in the Grampian Mountains of Scotland. Under EU Natura 2000 legislation it is a Special Area of Conservation for botanical reasons, containing plant communities found nowhere else in the UK. It is also a Special Protection Area for birds including the dotterel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Doll</span>

Glen Doll, also sometimes spelt Glendoll, lies within the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, at the top of Glen Clova, in an area of steep hills, corries and Munros. It includes the Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve, which has many endangered plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muir of Dinnet</span>

Muir of Dinnet is a national nature reserve (NNR) situated close to the village of Dinnet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The reserve extends 1166 hectares from the River Dee to Culbean hill, and encompasses a wide range of habitats including dry heath, raised bog, woodland, and two lochs: Loch Kinord and Loch Davan. Muir of Dinnet was first declared a NNR in 1977 due to its value as a habitat for flora and fauna, and its important geomorphological features, the most striking of which is the Burn O'Vat. Muir of Dinnet is owned by Dinnet Estate and managed by NatureScot, who provide a visitor centre and a range of other facilities including waymarked paths and a car park. As of 2012 it was estimated that approximately 40,000 people visited Muir of Dinnet each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasdrum Wood</span>

Glasdrum Wood is national nature reserve (NNR) at the head of Loch Creran in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland. Managed by NatureScot, the wood is renowned for its diverse flora and fauna, including sessile oak and ash trees, mosses, liverworts and rare invertebrates, like the chequered skipper butterfly. The NNR covers an area of around 169 hectares, encompassing woodland and hillside on the lower slopes of Beinn Churlain. A carpark and 1 km-long waymarked trail are provided for visitors. Since 2004 the reserve has received approximately 2800 visitors each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigellachie National Nature Reserve</span>

Craigellachie is a hill lying to the west of the village of Aviemore in Strathspey, in the central Highlands of Scotland. Craigellachie was declared a national nature reserve (NNR) in 1961, and is managed by NatureScot through a lease from Reidhaven Estate. The reserve covers 257 hectares on the eastern slopes of the Monadhliath range of hills, lying between 225 and 535 m above sea level. It is dominated by birkwood, being one of the largest remaining areas of this type of habitat on Speyside, and is also of national importance due to the variety of moths present on the reserve. In addition to the birkwoods, the reserve encompasses a variety of other habitats, such as rocky crags, lochans and open heath with blaeberry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Tanar</span> Glen of the Water of Tanar and national nature reserve in northeast Scotland

Glen Tanar is a glen in Aberdeenshire, eastern Scotland, through which the Water of Tanar flows. Near the mouth of the glen, at Tower o' Ess, the Water of Tanar flows into the River Dee. This flows through Deeside into the North Sea at Aberdeen. Glen Tanar contains the third largest area of Caledonian Forest in Scotland, and is of national and European importance. It is around 18 miles East from the King's private residence at Balmoral Castle.

This article describes the geology of the Cairngorms National Park, an area in the Highlands of Scotland designated as a national park in 2003 and extended in 2010. The Cairngorms National Park extends across a much wider area than the Cairngorms massif itself and hence displays rather more varied geology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area</span>

Ben Nevis and Glen Coe is a national scenic area (NSA) covering part of the Highlands of Scotland surrounding Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, in which certain forms of development are restricted. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development. The Ben Nevis and Glen Coe NSA covers 903 km2 (349 sq mi) of land, lying within the Highland, Argyll and Bute and Perth and Kinross council areas. A further 19 km2 (7.3 sq mi) of the NSA are marine, covering the sea loch of Loch Leven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area</span>

The Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area is a national scenic area (NSA) covering the area surrounding Loch Rannoch, Glen Lyon, and the Ben Lawers ranges of mountains in Scotland. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development by restricting certain forms of development. The Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon NSA covers 48,625 ha, most of which lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross, with a small portion lying in Stirling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve</span>

Invereshie and Inshriach is a national nature reserve on the western flank of the Cairngorms in the Highland council area of Scotland. The reserve covers habitats at a range of different altitudes, ranging from Caledonian Forest beside the River Feshie in the west, via bog and open moorland, to an arctic-alpine environment on the Cairngorm plateau. The Munro summit of Sgòr Gaoith (1118 m) lies on the eastern boundary of the reserve. The forested areas of the reserve form part of an expanse of Caledonian pinewood that stretches from Glen Feshie to Abernethy, and which as a whole forms the largest single area of this habitat remaining in Scotland. The reserve is owned and managed jointly by NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS): NatureScot own the Invereshie portion of the reserve and FLS the Inshriach area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moine Mhòr</span> Area of raised bog in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Moine Mhòr encompasses a large area of raised bog in the Kilmartin Glen area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. As well as raised bog there are areas of saltmarsh, brackish grassland, alder carr, fen and woodland, and the variety of habitats at Moine Mhòr provide important habitats for a variety of animal and plant species. The area was declared a national nature reserve (NNR) in 1987, and is now owned and managed by NatureScot. According to NatureScot lowland raised bogs like Moine Mhòr are some of the rarest and most threatened natural wildlife habitats in Europe, due to removal of peat, afforestation and reclamation of farmland.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 "Corrie Fee". Protected Planet. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Corrie Fee NNR". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p. 2.
  4. 1 2 The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p. 10.
  5. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. pp. 7-8.
  6. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p. 9.
  7. ↑ "Montane scrub and treeline woodlands". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  8. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. pp. 11-12.
  9. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. pp. 13-14.
  10. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p. 18.
  11. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. pp. 17-18.
  12. ↑ "Caenlochan". Joint Nature Conservation Committee . Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  13. ↑ "Caenlochan SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "Caenlochan SSSI". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  15. ↑ "Caenlochan SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  16. ↑ "Cairngorms Massif SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  17. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p. 5.
  18. 1 2 3 The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p. 19.
  19. ↑ The Story of Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve. p.4.
  20. ↑ "Visit Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  21. ↑ Donald Bennet & Rab Anderson, ed. (2016). The Munros: Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalkers' Guide. Scottish Mountaineering Trust. p. 124. ISBN   9780907521945.
  22. ↑ "Coire Fee, Glen Clova". www.ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.

Bibliography

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