Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve

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Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) [1]
Tentsmuir Dunes.jpg
Looking towards Tentsmuir Forest from the coast near Tentsmuir Point
Fife UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Fife, Scotland
Coordinates 56°25′N2°50′W / 56.42°N 2.83°W / 56.42; -2.83 Coordinates: 56°25′N2°50′W / 56.42°N 2.83°W / 56.42; -2.83
Area564 ha (1,390 acres) [2]
Established2006 [1]
Governing body NatureScot
Tentsmuir NNR

Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve (NNR) is located southeast of Tayport in Fife, Scotland. The reserve is made up of three parts, encompassing Morton Lochs, Tentsmuir Point and Tayport Heath, and is managed by NatureScot. The different sections of Tentsmuir NNR were originally designated as separate national nature reserves at different times: the Morton Lochs section was designated in 1952; Tentsmuir Point in 1954; and Tayport Heath in 1988. [3] While these discrete sections are distant from one another, they form part of the extensive dune system at Tentsmuir, and in 2003 SNH combined the three sites to form Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. The adjoining Tentsmuir Forest is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland and covers most of the land between the three portions of the NNR. [4]

Contents

In October 2020 Tentsmuir was one of the sites used for the filming of the BBC's Autumnwatch series, with presenter Michaela Strachan being based at the site for the programme's two week run. [5]

Geomorphology

The dune system at Tentsmuir NNR is highly dynamic, with some areas of the coast experiencing erosion and some areas accumulating sand. Much of the sandbank and mud-flat system, known as the Abertay Sands, which extends eastwards into the North Sea, was formed only in the past 100 years through processes of erosion and deposition. [6]

Tentsmuir is a key geomorphological site for the study of active beach and coastal processes, in particular those associated with coastal progradation (shoreline building out seawards). The site supports an extensive and relatively undisturbed area of intertidal sand, mudflats and rapidly accreting lime-poor dunes. There are complete sequences of sand dune and slack communities from strandline, saltmarsh, accreting "yellow" dunes, fixed "grey dunes" to lichen rich dune heath, dune slack and dune slack woodland. Associated with these habitats are a large number of plant and invertebrate species including many of national or regional importance. [7]

Flora

Looking south from the beach near the Ice House entrance Tentsmuir NNR.jpg
Looking south from the beach near the Ice House entrance

The different sections of Tentsmuir NNR support a rich variety of plant species, and 320 vascular plant species have been recorded at Tentsmuir Point, with over 200 recorded at Morton Lochs. At Morton Lochs, water plantain, yellow flag iris, broad-leaved pondweed and greater pond sedge are just some of the plants that thrive in the mosaic of habitats in this area. [8] The wet woodland surrounding Morton Lochs consists mainly of grey willow, alder, hawthorn and birch. [9] Land to the north and east of Morton Lochs displays some of the natural vegetation characteristic of open heath, despite being planted with forest in 1954. [8]

Fauna

Grey seals hauled-out near Tentsmuir Point Grey seals hauled-out near Tentsmuir Point - geograph.org.uk - 1169864.jpg
Grey seals hauled-out near Tentsmuir Point

The sea off the reserve hosts a nationally important colony of common seals, and Tentsmuir Point provides a haul-out site for grey seals. [8] It is one of the few places where both species can be seen together. [10] Bottlenose dolphins are also often seen from the shore at Tentsmuir, and there are less frequent sightings of minke whales and harbour porpoises. Otters have been seen at the Morton Lochs section of the NNR, with the existence of young otters suggesting successful breeding in the area. [11]

Tentsmuir Point is also renowned as one of the most important sites for migratory waders and wildfowl in Scotland, [11] and the intertidal flats regularly support large concentrations of passing or wintering waterfowl and waders. Three species have been recorded at nationally important numbers (between 2004 and 2009). There were eider (11.45% of the UK population), bar-tailed godwit (1.93%) and goosander (1.04%). [7] The wetland habitat at Morton Lochs also provides a home for birds like the water rail, the little grebe, the tufted duck and the goldeneye. [12] Ospreys can also be found at Morton Lochs, as well as the rare marsh harrier. [13]

Invertebrate fauna in the sand-dune area of Tentsmuir NNR are particularly diverse, with 46 nationally rare or scarce species. [13]

Designations

Tentsmuir national nature reserve is classified as a Category IV protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [1] In addition to its NNR status, the reserve forms part of a range of national and international protected areas along the coastline of the Firth of Tay and the Eden Estuary. This wider area is classified as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Special Protection Area (SPA), and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. [14] [15] [16] The NNR also overlaps with two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with part of the Tentsmuir Coast SSSI and all of Morton Lochs SSSI lying within the reserve. [17] [18]

Related Research Articles

National nature reserve (Scotland)

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.

Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve

Caerlaverock is a national nature reserve (NNR) covering parts of the mudflats and shoreline of the Solway Firth about 10 km south of Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies between the River Nith and the Lochar Water, and consists of a variety of wetland habitats including bare mud and sand, merse and marshes, and is fringed by neutral grassland on the landward side. A nature reserve was designated in 1957 at the instigation of the Duke of Norfolk. The NNR covers an area of 82 square kilometres (32 sq mi) and is an internationally important wintering site for waterfowl and wading birds.

Firth of Tay Firth in Scotland

The Firth of Tay is a firth on the east coast of Scotland, into which the River Tay empties. The firth is surrounded by four council areas: Fife, Perth and Kinross, City of Dundee, and Angus. Its maximum width is 3 mi (4.8 km).

Loch Leven (Kinross)

Loch Leven is a fresh water loch located immediately to the east of the burgh of Kinross in Perth and Kinross council area, central Scotland. Roughly triangular, the loch is about 6 km (3.7 mi) at its longest. Prior to the canalisation of the River Leven, and the partial draining of the loch in 1826–36, Loch Leven was considerably larger. The drop in water level by 1.4 m reduced the loch to 75% of its former size, and exposed several small islands, as well as greatly increasing the size of the existing ones.

Loch Fleet

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.

Forvie National Nature Reserve

The Forvie National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve owned and managed by NatureScot. It is located north of Newburgh in Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland. The reserve includes the Sands of Forvie, which are the fifth largest sand dune system in Britain, and the least disturbed by human activity. The dune system is an integral part of the Ythan Estuary, which also forms part of the reserve, and separates the sands from Balmedie beach.

Tentsmuir Forest

Tentsmuir Forest is in north east Fife, Scotland. Covering some 5 square miles (13 km2), the forest was originally sand dunes and moorland before acquisition by the Forestry Commission in the 1920s. The forest consists mainly of Scots pine and Corsican pine, and is now owned by Forestry and Land Scotland, successor body to the Forestry Commission.

Tayport Human settlement in Scotland

Tayport, also known as Ferry-Port on Craig, is a town and burgh, and parish, in the county of Fife, Scotland, acting as a commuter town for Dundee. The motto of the Burgh is Te oportet alte ferri, a pun on Tayport at auld Tay Ferry.

Ben Wyvis

Ben Wyvis is a mountain located in Easter Ross, north-west of Dingwall in northern Scotland. It lies in the council area of Highland, and the county of Ross and Cromarty. The mountain is prominent in views of the area, presenting a whale-back shape above the farmland of Strathconon. Geologically, the ridge is composed of Moine pelitic gneiss.

Creag Meagaidh

Creag Meagaidh is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Spean in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a complex mountain, taking the form of a flat summit plateau from which five ridges radiate, and is most famed for the cliffs surrounding the corrie of Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face. These crags are a renowned venue for winter and ice climbing, although being somewhat vegetated they are less suited to summer climbing.

Glenmore Forest Park

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.

Abernethy Forest

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.

Muir of Dinnet

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.

Morton Lochs

Morton Lochs is part of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve located near Tayport, in the north east of Fife, Scotland. It consists of three small lochs important for a variety of waterfowl species. As well as being a national nature reserve (NNR) the lochs are also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in their own right, and are classified as a Category IV protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Inner Tay Estuary is the inner, western part of the Firth of Tay, from the Tay Railway Bridge in the east to the Queen's Bridge over the River Tay in Perth and the bridge in Bridge of Earn on the River Earn. It is one of the largest estuaries in eastern Scotland, and is up to 2.5 km wide. It consists primarily of intertidal sand and mud flats extending seaward to the main channel, most of which are on the northern shore. Landward of these are salt marsh and Phragmites reedbeds. The estuary contains two large islands: Mugdrum Island, opposite Newburgh; and Moncreiffe Island, immediately below Perth. The estuary's narrow form, and the large volume of freshwater from the Rivers Tay and Earn, restrict the influence of saltwater west of the Tayport narrows. Much of the tidal water is freshwater or mildly brackish.

Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve A nature reserve in Scotland

Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve (NNR) encompasses 430 hectares of land at the southeastern part of Loch Lomond in the council areas of Stirling and West Dunbartonshire, in Scotland. It covers the islands of Inchcailloch, Clairinsh, Torrinch, Creinch and Aber Isle, alongside areas of woodland and wetlands to either side of the mouth of the Endrick Water. NatureScot owns two parts of the reserve - the island of Inchcailloch and part of Gartfairn Wood - and the rest is privately owned. The reserve is managed by a partnership consisting of NatureScot, the RSPB Scotland and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, along with the owners and tenants of the land under agreements. Within this framework NatureScot directly manage the islands of Clairinsh, Inchcailloch, Torrinch and Creinch, and land to the north of the Endrick Water. The RSPB manages the area to the south of the Endrick Water, and the national park manages visitor facilities on Inchcailloch.

Glen Nant Woodland and nature reserve in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Glen Nant is glen lying to the south of Taynuilt in the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. An area of woodland of 339 hectares on the western side of the River Nant is designated as national nature reserve (NNR), which is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). It is an example of an Atlantic Oakwood, and is one of largest areas of upland oak woodland in north Argyll.

Coul Links Area of sand dunes in Scotland

Coul Links is an area of sand dunes in Sutherland, on the east coast of Scotland. It is located between Golspie and Dornoch, lying just to the north of the small village of Embo. The links are considered unusual within Scotland in displaying a complete transition from the foredune to dune system and coastal heathland. They also include habitats such as flooded slacks and seasonal lochs. The links lie on the eastern side of Loch Fleet, and form part of the Loch Fleet Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet Special Protection Area (SPA), and the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet Ramsar site, but are outwith the Loch Fleet national nature reserve (NNR). Between 1985 and 2010 the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) managed Coul Links under an agreement with the landowner, however the agreement was not renewed when it expired. The SWT continues to be involved in the management of the adjacent Loch Fleet NNR.

Moine Mhòr 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 3 "Tentsmuir". Protected Planet. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Tentsmuir NNR". NatureScot. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  3. ↑ The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 22.
  4. ↑ The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 7.
  5. ↑ "Autumnwatch comes to Tentsmuir and the Isle of May". NatureScot. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  6. ↑ The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 9.
  7. 1 2 "Tayport - Tentsmuir Coast Site Management Statement". NatureScot. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 12.
  9. ↑ The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 11.
  10. ↑ The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 1.
  11. 1 2 The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 13.
  12. ↑ The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 16.
  13. 1 2 The Story of Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. p. 17.
  14. ↑ "Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  15. ↑ "Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  16. ↑ "Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary Ramsar". NatureScot. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  17. ↑ "Tayport - Tentsmuir Coast SSSI". NatureScot. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "Morton Lochs SSSI". NatureScot. Retrieved 28 September 2020.

Bibliography

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