Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve | |
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Map of England | |
Location | Northumberland, England |
Coordinates | 55°40′37″N1°47′42″W / 55.677°N 1.795°W |
Area | 3,541 hectares (8,750 acres) |
Natural England website |
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve is a 3,541-hectare (8,750-acre) UK national nature reserve. [1] It was founded to help safeguard the internationally important wintering bird populations, [2] and six internationally important species of wildfowl and wading birds winter here. For the pale-bellied brent geese from Svalbard, this is their only regular wintering place in all of the United Kingdom. Pinkfooted and greylag geese, wigeons, grey plovers and bar-tailed godwits are the other visitors. [2] [3]
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve is a Ramsar site, and as a result is a wetland of international significance. [3]
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve protects a stretch of coastline, including the dunes of Lindisfarne (Holy Island). Lindisfarne NNR has international recognition and covers a large and varied mosaic of internationally recognised and important coastal habitats. These include intertidal mudflats, rocky shore, sand dunes and salt marshes. The dunes of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve support many plants. [4] Early forget-me-nots [4] : 115 and marram grass are among those that hug the ground and need little water. Many species of insects, moths, and butterflies appreciate this environment, including the 'woolly bears' (tiger moth caterpillars). Dark green fritillary, and grayling butterflies bask in the sun during July and August in the Lindisfarne NNR. Big brown-lipped snails can also be found. During early summer, the purple northern marsh orchid [4] : 147 flourishes along with its pinker relation, the early marsh orchid. [4] : 145 In July the marsh helleborines flower by the thousands and form spectacular white carpets. [2] Recently a unique orchid, the Lindisfarne helleborine, has been discovered on the island. The plants were formerly identified as dune helleborine (Epipactis dunensis), but DNA analysis carried out in 2003 revealed them to be genetically distinct, and the new species was given the scientific name Epipactis sancta . [5] : 59
Bird species for which the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve is important include pale-bellied brent goose, wigeon, teal, pintail, merlin, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit and many others. The situation on the east coast also makes it a good place for observing migrating birds arriving from the east, including large numbers of redwing and fieldfare, and also scarcer Siberian birds including regular annual yellow-browed warblers. Rare species such as Radde's warbler, dusky warbler and red-flanked bluetail have all occurred on Lindisfarne. As of 2016 [update] , 330 species have been recorded on the isle of Lindisfarne and the adjacent Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. [5] The large number and variety of birds present makes the area a very popular region with bird watchers, particularly in the autumn and winter. [5]
Common throughout Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands are the common eider duck. Saint Cuthbert was reputed to be very fond of them (as pets, not food) during his periods on the Farnes as a hermit. In 676 he promulgated a law protecting the birds, reputed to be the first bird protection legislation. Locally the birds are known as "Cuddy's ducks" (occasionally "Cuddy's hens") after the familiar form of "Cuthbert".
Grey seals are commonly found in the waters and on the rocks around the isle of Lindisfarne, and common seals are also occasionally seen. [6]
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve is located on the North Northumberland coastline. [2] It is located about 10 miles (16 km) south of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Lindisfarne is sign-posted from the A1 highway south of Berwick-upon-Tweed. There are car parks available on the isle of Lindisfarne (Holy Island), at Budle Bay, and at Beal, on the mainland of England. [7]
Access to the island is by a tidal causeway. Visitors to the island must check tide times and weather carefully, and seek local advice if in doubt. The road is generally open from about 3 hours after high tide until 2 hours before the next high tide, but the period of closure may be extended during stormy weather. Walkers using the causeway over the mud flats are advised that the safe time is shorter. Despite these warnings, about one vehicle each month is stranded on the causeway. Tide tables giving the safe crossing periods are published by Northumberland County council. [8]
The Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve offers a range of volunteering opportunities for youths, seniors, and families. [2] These volunteer opportunities include: Species Recording, Habitat and Estate Management, Site Wardening, and acting as guides during guided walks. [3]
Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan, Cuthbert, Eadfrith, and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. The island was originally home to a monastery, which was destroyed during the Viking invasions but re-established as a priory following the Norman Conquest of England. Other notable sites built on the island are St Mary the Virgin parish church, Lindisfarne Castle, several lighthouses and other navigational markers, and a complex network of lime kilns. In the present day, the island is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a hotspot for historical tourism and bird watching. As of February 2020, the island had three pubs, a hotel and a post office.
National nature reserves in England are designated by Natural England as key places for wildlife and natural features in England. They were established to protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are managed on behalf of the nation, many by Natural England itself, but also by non-governmental organisations, including the members of The Wildlife Trusts partnership, the National Trust, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Mid-Yare NNR is a national nature reserve in Norfolk, east of Norwich, established by English Nature and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The reserve is made up of four RSPB reserves: Strumpshaw Fen, Buckenham Marshes and Cantley Marshes on the north bank of the Yare, and Surlingham Church Marsh on the south bank.
Holkham National Nature Reserve is England's largest national nature reserve (NNR). It is on the Norfolk coast between Burnham Overy Staithe and Blakeney, and is managed by Natural England with the cooperation of the Holkham Estate. Its 3,900 hectares comprise a wide range of habitats, including grazing marsh, woodland, salt marsh, sand dunes and foreshore. The reserve is part of the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the larger area is additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar listings, and is part of both an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and a World Biosphere Reserve. Holkham NNR is important for its wintering wildfowl, especially pink-footed geese, Eurasian wigeon and brant geese, but it also has breeding waders, and attracts many migrating birds in autumn. Many scarce invertebrates and plants can be found in the dunes, and the reserve is one of the only two sites in the UK to have an antlion colony.
Bridgwater Bay is on the Bristol Channel, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It stretches from Minehead at the southwestern end of the bay to Brean Down in the north. The area consists of large areas of mudflats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) covering an area of 3,574.1 hectares since 1989, and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.
Epipactis, or helleborine, is a genus of terrestrial orchids consisting of approximately 70 species. This genus is abbreviated as Epcts in horticultural trade.
Loch Fleet is a sea loch on the east coast of Scotland, located between Golspie and Dornoch. It forms the estuary of the River Fleet, a small spate river that rises in the hills east of Lairg. The loch was designated a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 1998, and is managed by a partnership between NatureScot, the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Sutherland Estates. The NNR extends to 1058 hectares, including the Loch Fleet tidal basin, sand dunes, shingle ridges and the adjacent pine woods, including Balbair Wood and Ferry Wood. The tidal basin of the loch covers over 630 ha, and forms the largest habitat on the NNR.
Gibraltar Point national nature reserve is an area of about 4.3 km2 (1.7 sq mi) on the coast of Lincolnshire, England.
The Ribble and Alt Estuaries lie on the Irish Sea coast of the ceremonial counties of Lancashire and Merseyside in the traditional county of Lancashire in north-west England, and form the boundaries of a number of conservation schemes.
Newborough Warren near the village of Newborough (Niwbwrch) in Anglesey, Wales, is a large dune and beach system of 2,269 hectares, approximately half of which is a conifer plantation. The whole area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and all of the site except the forestry is a national nature reserve.
Staple Island is a small rocky island, or skerry, that is one of the Outer Group of the Farne Islands in Northumberland, England. The Farne Islands are a designated National Nature Reserve. Staple Island is an important wildlife habitat known for its prolific breeding colonies of Atlantic puffins, razorbills and kittiwakes. A notable colony of grey seals breeds on the island with pups born every year in September–November.
Scolt Head Island is an offshore barrier island between Brancaster and Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. It is in the parish of Burnham Norton and is accessed by a seasonal ferry from the village of Overy Staithe. The shingle and sand island appears to have originated from a former spit extending from the coast, and longshore drift means that it is slowly moving to the west and inshore.
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covering 40 miles (64 km) of coastline from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to the River Coquet estuary in the Northeast of England. Features include: Alnmouth, Bamburgh, Beadnell, Budle Bay, Cocklawburn Beach, Craster, Dunstanburgh Castle, the Farne Islands, Lindisfarne and Seahouses. It lies within the natural region of the North Northumberland Coastal Plain.
Epipactis phyllanthes, the green-flowered helleborine, is an orchid found in the western Palearctic realm.
Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve is a 50 acres (20 ha) reserve by the northern bank of the River Tees between the Tees Barrage and the Tees Viaduct, near Portrack housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees borough, County Durham. It is the last remaining wetland on the lower Tees. The site is bounded by Marston Road, a disused railway line, the Northumbrian Water's waste water treatment site, the River Tees, the Tees Barrage White Water Course, the grounds of The Talpore pub and a Tees Barrage access road.
The North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an internationally important protected area in Norfolk, England. The SSSI is a long, narrow strip of coastal land that starts between Old Hunstanton and Holme-next-the-Sea, and runs east for about 43 km (27 mi) to Kelling. The southern boundary runs roughly west to east except where it detours around towns and villages, and never crosses the A149 coast road. It has an area of 7,700 ha (19,027 acres), and is additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar listings; it is also part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Scolt Head Island and the coast from the Holkham National Nature Reserve to Salthouse are a Biosphere Reserve.
The North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an area of European importance for wildlife in Norfolk, England. It comprises 7,700 ha (19,027 acres) of the county's north coast from just west of Holme-next-the-Sea to Kelling, and is additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA) listings; it is also part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The North Norfolk Coast is also designated as a wetland of international importance on the Ramsar list and most of it is a Biosphere Reserve.
Epipactis dunensis, commonly known as dune helleborine, is a species of plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Great Britain and Ireland. It typically grows to a height of 20–50 cm (7.9–19.7 in) and the upper half of the flowering stalk is hairy. The plant has a long, fleshy rootstock and three to ten yellowish green, oval to lance-shaped leaves arranged in opposite rows along the flowering stem with up to 35 flowers. The three sepals are greenish, the two petals paler, the lower part of the labellum is boat-shaped and dark, chocolate brown with a transparent, whitish rim and the epichile is heart-shaped with a pointed tip. Flowering occurs from late June to mid-August, the flowers are mainly self-pollinated, and the fruit is a capsule, from which light, microscopic seeds are spread by the wind.
The North Northumberland Coastal Plain is a major natural region that lies on England's northeasternmost stretch of coastline on the North Sea. To the west lie the Cheviot Fringe, the Northumberland Sandstone Hills and Mid Northumberland; to the south it is continued by the South East Northumberland Coastal Plain.