Fowlsheugh cliffs in breeding season.

Fowlsheugh (56°54′45″N, 2°11′45″W) is a coastal nature reserve in Kincardineshire, northeast Scotland, known for its seventy metre high cliff formations and habitat supporting prolific seabird nesting colonies. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the United Kingdom, the property is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Fowlsheugh can be accessed by a public clifftop trail, or by boats which usually emanate from the nearby harbour at the town of Stonehaven. Tens of thousands of pelagic birds return to the site every spring to breed, after wintering at sea or in more southern climates, principal species being Puffins, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Guillemots. Rugged coastline of the West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ... A nature reserve (natural reserve, nature preserve, natural preserve) is an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. ... Kincardineshire, also known as The Mearns (from A Mhaoirne meaning The Stewartry) is a traditional county on the coast of Northeast Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... Seabirds are birds that spend much of their lives, outside the breeding season at least, at sea. ... A basket style nest A nest is place of refuge built to hold an animals eggs and/or provide a place to raise their offspring. ... A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ... A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... Dunnottar Castle Location within the British Isles Stonehaven (Steenhive in the Doric dialect of Scots ) is a town on the North-East coast of Scotland. ... The pelagic zone is the part of the open sea or ocean comprising the water column, i. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. ... Binomial name Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758 The Razorbill, Alca torda, is a large alcid, 38-43 cm in length, with a 60-69 cm wingspan. ... Species Rissa tridactyla Rissa brevirostris The Kittiwakes (genus Rissa) are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae. ... Species Fulmar (Linnaeus, 1761) Southern Fulmar (Smith,A, 1840) The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. ... The Common Guillemot, known as the Common Murre in North America, Uria aalge, is a large alcid. ...

Due to global warming, the planktonic species previously present that prefer cold water are not available in the quantity required to support the historically large sandeel population^[1]. Added to the problem has been incursions by Danish overfishing (halted at present) of the Scottish sandeel fishery, further reducing the numbers of this dietary staple for Puffins and other local seabirds^[2] . Global mean surface temperatures 1856 to 2005 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sand Eel or Sandeel is the common name used for a considerable number of species of fish. ... The Traffic Light colour convention, showing the concept of Harvest Control Rule (HCR), specifying when a rebuilding plan is mandatory in terms of precautionary and limit reference points for spawning biomass and fishing mortality rate. ...

Geology and topography

Clifftop at Fowlsheugh looking north

The sheer cliffs of Fowlsheugh are actually undercut in some places by erosive force of the North Sea wave action and associated strong marine winds, giving rise to cliff overhangs in numerous stretches of the blufftop trail. (Off shore winds commonly attain mean velocities of 80 kilometres per hour here, especially in winter months.) The underlying rock formation is known as Old Red Sandstone, which occurs from Dunnottar Castle five kilometres north to the town of Catterline seven kilometres south. This sandstone formation may be as thick as 2700 metres. The Trango Towers in Pakistan have the highest cliffs in the world In geography, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... The Old Red Sandstone is a rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. ... Dunnottar Castle Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky outcrop on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. ...

In places the fissured red and green coloured sandstone is replaced by picturesque conglomerate with roundish stones varying in diameter from two to thirty centimetres (historically known as pudding stone in this region of Kincardineshire)^[3]. In other places more greenish volcanic extrusions are evident as harder veins within the sandstone bluffs. Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ...

Where the rock faces meet the North Sea, there are several sea caves accessible only by small boat. The deepest cave known locally as the “Gallery” intrudes a full hundred metres westward beneath the fertile barley fields high above. In the northern extremity of the Fowlsheugh is an offshore skerry named Craiglethy, and slightly further a skerry called Gull Craig. These lower lying rocky outcrops are an integral part of the Fowlsheugh Preserve, hosting seabird nests as well as a few harbour seals on Craiglethy, who can be seen hauling out or sunbathing on summer afternoons. Craiglethy is composed only of sandstone and volcanic material, any original overlying conglomerate material having been long eroded. There are also some volcanic sea stacks along the shoreline, vestiges of the harder rock formations surviving the erosion of surrounding softer rocks by millennia of wave action and salt spray. Look up skerry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up skerry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Volcano 1. ...

History

Historically there has been human recognition of Fowlsheugh as a unique bird area for at least five centuries, culminating in its present day designations of Important Bird Area (IBA), Special Protection Area (SPA) and SSSI (as noted above). The earliest known writing on Fowlsheugh is (as relayed through Archibald Watt) by the Scottish poet William Dunbar (born 1480) who wrote^[4]: A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Commission Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). ... This article is about William Dunbar, the poet. ...

The air was dirkit with the fowlis that cam’ with yammeris and with yowlis with shyrking, shrieking, skrymming scuous and meikle nayis and shoutes.

This historic interest has also translated into reasonably good bird counts over at least the last century. As a glimpse into Fowlsheugh in early Victorian times, James Anderson wrote^[5]: Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Victorian can refer to: people from or attributes of places called Victoria (disambiguation page), including Victoria, Australia, people who lived during the British Victorian era of the 19th century, and aspects of the Victorian era, for example: Victorian architecture Victorian fashion Victorian morality Victorian literature This is a disambiguation page...

"a remarkable rock of the conglomerate or plum pudding species called Fowls Heugh, about a mile long and two hundred feet high, quite perpendicular and in some places overhanging, often visited by sportsmen on account of innumerable sea fowl, of the kittiwake species, which resort to it in the breeding season; finding convenient places for depositing their eggs in the recesses formed by the vacant beds of pebbles" Conglomerate is: A large, diversified company with a wide array of businesses; see Conglomerate (company), Holding company. ... A fowl is a bird of any kind, although some types of birds use the word specifically in their names (for example, Guineafowl and Peafowl). ... Pebbles A pebble is a rock with a size of 4 to 75 millimeters (some say 64 millimeters). ...

It is documented that in the 19th century not only did hunters journey to Fowlsheugh to shoot seabirds, but rock climbers would rappel down the steep cliffs in search of the prized seabird eggs, much in the manner described of Saint Kilda. The rappelers would likely have anchored their pitons in the rock itself, as the loose soil above is not endowed with much fastening strength; however, these sandy loam soils are ideal for rabbit warrens that are time-shared by the Puffins when the latter are in residence at Fowlsheugh. Hunting is, in its most general sense, the pursuit of a target. ... In British English, abseiling (from the German abseilen, to rope down) is the process of descending on a fixed rope. ... Mercator projection map of the Saint Kilda Island group with inset of the British Isles The Saint Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: Hiort) archipelago, in the North Atlantic is at the outermost limits of the British Isles. ... In climbing, a piton is a steel spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A warren is a network of rabbit burrows. ...

About the year 1900 the Crown leased fishing rights at the base of Fowlsheugh to private interests, who proceeded to fish the North Sea close to the cliff faces using extensive systems of nets. The resulting entrainment of Guillemots led to such great bird mortality, as well as to public outcry, that fishing lets were abandoned the following year. In 1920 Fulmars arrived at Fowlsheugh to breed from St. Kildas on Orkney.

Conservation status

International recognition of Fowlsheugh has been established primarily due to the large and productive seabird colonies present. On August 31, 1992 Special Protection Area (SPA) status was conferred with .EU code designation of UK9002271. The Fowlsheugh extent has been recorded as an area of only 10.15 hectares in size, making the seabird density on of the greatest in Europe. There is actually more land area as measured on the vertical cliff faces than the horizontal plan view official area record!

Birdlife

Razorbill in breeding season high on cliff

In excess of 170,000 birds inhabit Fowlsheugh at the peak breeding season between April and late July. This value places Fowlsheugh as the second largest seabird colony in Britain and surpasses the criterion of 20,000 birds to qualify as a protected area of international seabird importance under European Union Directive 79/409. Bird species present are primarily auks and gulls, which feed in nearby offshore waters as well as more distant North Sea reaches. Most of the nests are constructed on precarious perches nestled in the virtually vertical cliffs of the basalt and conglomerate. During breeding season the bluffs are dense in birds arriving, departing and feeding in the waters below. Sound levels from birds have been measured as high as 69 dBA for a one hour interval. Breeding has several meanings related to procreation: In animal husbandry and in horticulture the selection of stock for propagation and the act of insemination by natural or artificial means is called breeding. ... Genera Alle Uria Alca Pinguinus Cepphus Brachyramphus Synthliboramphus Ptychoramphus Cyclorrhynchus Aethia Cerorhinca Fratercula This article is about a family of birds. ... Genera Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae. ... A basket style nest A nest is place of refuge built to hold an animals eggs and/or provide a place to raise their offspring. ... Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level Lp is a logarithmic measure of the energy of a particular noise relative to a reference noise source. ... dba Boeing 737 aircraft. ...

As of 2005 about 18,000 breeding pairs of Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) return to Fowlsheugh each year, making their nests on some of the most vertical parts of the landscape from muck, seaweed and local grasses. This population level significantly decreased from the 1992 kittiwake count of 34,870 breeding pairs of this seabird. The 1992 value represented 1.1 percent of all North Atlantic breeding pairs of Kittiwakes. This population level caused the site to qualify under Article 4.2 of the European Union Directive 79/409 by supporting populations of European importance of this migratory species. From the cliff overhangs above, it is easy to view the parent feeding of these chicks by regurgitation. Seaweed-covered rocks in the UK Biologists, specifically marine biologists, consider seaweed to be any of a large number of marine benthic algae that are multicellular, macrothallic, and thus differentiated from most algae that tend to be microscopic in size [1]. Many phycologists prefer the term marine macroalgae over seaweeds...

Under the 1992 bird count there were 40,140 breeding pairs of Guillemot (Uria aalge), representing at least 1.8 percent of this breeding East Atlantic seabird population. Smaller numbers of other seabirds nest at Fowlsheugh, including Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), Razorbill (Alca torda), Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), and Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). Occasionally a Peregrine Falcon disturbs nesting kittiwakes as it swoops by the cliff edges. Lesser numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus, Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus and Common Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis are also to be found. Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), sometimes formerly known in North America as Duck Hawk, is a medium-sized falcon about the size of a large crow: 38-53 cm (15 to 21 inches) long. ... Binomial name Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus is a large gull which breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. ... Binomial name Larus marinus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus, is a very large gull which breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic. ... Binomial name Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is a species of cormorant. ...

Craiglethy Skerry at Fowlsheugh, hosting seabirds and seals.

Marine life

In the North Sea waters at the base of the cliffs can be found certain marine mammals, including the common seal (Phoca vitulina) and the Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). Seals can be observed in summer months hauling out on the rugged rock formation of Craiglethy Skerry. Further offshore are frequently sighted dolphins. Bony fishes found in the offshore waters include Atlantic shad (Aosa sapidissima), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Brown trout (Salmo trutta). Marine algae occurring immediately offshore at the Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve include Dudresnaya verticillata, Sauvageaugloia griffithsiana and Streblonema infestans. Binomial name bobbi Linnaeus,, 1758 Common or Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) are true seals of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) Grey Seal range (in blue) The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Look up skerry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... // [edit] HEY WHAZZ UP MIKE HOW ARE U I AM GREAT GREAT TALKIN TO YEAH ONLINE AND JUST TO SAY SOMETHIN LUV YA JK HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA | familia_authority = Gray, 1821 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See article below. ... The Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. ... Species (Caspian shad) (Caspian anadromous shad) (Alewife) (American or Atlantic shad) (Persian Gulf shad) many others The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fishes related to herring in the family Clupeidae. ... Binomial name Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, from the Latin words Salmo meaning salmon, and salar meaning leaper) is a fish species of the Salmonidae family found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the Atlantic. ... Binomial name Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758 Morphs Salmo trutta morpha trutta Salmo trutta morpha fario Salmo trutta morpha lacustris The Brown Trout (Salmo trutta morpha fario and morpha lacustris) and the Sea Trout ( morpha trutta) are fish of the same species distinguished chiefly by the fact that the brown trout... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...

Terrestrial flora and fauna

Wildflower atop Fowlshugh cliffs

On the clifftops are found a variety of flowering plants and grasses that offer additional biota infrastructure for the extensive butterfly populations resident at Fowlsheugh. Most of the blooming species flower in the period April through August. Representative flowering plants that occer at Fowlsheugh are: Achillea millefolium, Achillea ptarmica, Carex spicata, Carlina vulgaris, Festuca arundinacea, Salix viminalis, Sambucus nigra, common rockrose and viola. Common rockrose is the only host plant for the Northern Brown Argus butterfly. Some of these species cling to the rough cliff vericals where patches of soil are found, while most of these species grow on the fertile blufftop soil tangent to the agricultural soils immediately west, which grow barley and other grains as well as afford pasture for sheep and cattle. This page is about the plant named Yarrow. ... Species many, see text Achillea is a genus of about 85 flowering plants, in the family Asteraceae, commonly referred to as yarrow. ... Carex (L., 1753) is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (although other, related species are also called sedges, those of genus Carex may be called true sedges). ... Species See text Fescue (Festuca) is a genus of about 300 species of tufted grasses, belonging to the grass family Poaceae. ... Species About 350, including: Salix alba - White Willow Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula - Mountain Willow Salix aurita - Eared Willow Salix babylonica - Peking Willow Salix caprea- Goat Willow Salix caroliniana - Coastal Plain Willow Salix cinerea - Grey Sallow Salix fragilis - Crack Willow Salix herbacea - Dwarf Willow Salix lanata - Woolly Willow Salix... Species About 25 species, including: Sambucus nigra - Black Elder Sambucus canadensis - American Elder Sambucus glauca - Blueberry Elder Sambucus racemosa - Red-berried Elder Elder or Elderberry (Sambucus) is a genus of fast-growing shrubs or small trees in the family Caprifoliaceae. ... The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a string instrument played with a bow which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the violin and the lower lines played by the cello and double bass. ...

Numerous species of butterfly are found^[6] at Fowlsheugh including: Families Superfamily Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae Superfamily Papilionoidea: Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae A butterfly is an insect of the Order Lepidoptera, and belongs to one of the superfamilies Hesperioidea (the skippers) or Papilionoidea (all other butterflies). ...

• Aglais urticae
• Argynnis aglaja, Dark Green Fritillary
• Aricia artaxerxes, Northern Brown Argus, designated as a Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species in the UK
• Coenonympha pamphilus, Small Heath
• Erebia aethiops, Scotch Argus
• Hipparchia semele, Greyling
• Lycaena phlaeas, Small copper
• Maniola jurtina, Meadow Brown
• Pieris brassicae, Large White

Binomial name Aricia artaxerxes (Fabricius, 1775) The Northern Brown Argus (Aricia artaxerxes) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. ... Diademed Sifaka, an endangered primate of Madagascar Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) is a an internationally recognized programme addressing threatened species or habitats, which is designed to protect and restore biological systems. ... Binomial name Coenonympha pamphilus Linnaeus, 1758 The Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) is a butterfly species, widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa. ... Binomial name Erebia aethiops Esper, 1777 The Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. ... Binomial name Hipparchia semele Linnaeus, 1758 The Grayling (Hipparchia semele) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. ... Binomial name Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761) The Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. ... Binomial name Maniolis jurtina Linnaeus, 1758 The Meadow Brown is a butterfly found in British meadows, where its larvae feed on grasses. ... Binomial name Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) The Large White or Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae) is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. ...

Practical information

The Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve is most readily accessed on foot from the hamlet of Crawton, which is situated and signposted about one kilometre east of the A92 coast highway. There is a small carpark near the trailhead, with limited turnaround capability for larger vehicles. There is no limitation as to time of access of the trail as of 2006 and there is no admission cost for using the trail. By boat, out of Stonehaven Harbour, there are regular small craft trips available for a moderate charge during the months of May to July, which reach the cliff bases of Fowlsheugh and even traverse some of the marine waterway caves.. The third quarto of Hamlet (1605); a straight reprint of the 2nd quarto (1604) The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a revenge tragedy by William Shakespeare and is one of his best-known and most-quoted plays. ... Highway in Pennsylvania, USA The Pan-American Highway, in the Peruvian town of Máncora, where it serves as the main street. ... Parking lot is the American English term that refers to a cleared area that is more or less level and is intended for parking vehicles. ... The trailhead is the point at which a path, usually intended primarily or solely for walking and/or horseback traffic, starts. ... A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... Inside Cave of the Mounds. ...

See also

• Important Bird Area
• Erosion

An Important Bird Area (IBA) is an area designated as globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of wind, water or ice, by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case of...

References

This article is about William Dunbar, the poet. ... Kincardineshire, also known as The Mearns (from A Mhaoirne meaning The Stewartry) is a traditional county on the coast of Northeast Scotland. ...

External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 56.912500° -2.195833°
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia or Google Map
  • Street map from Multimap or GlobalGuide
  • Aerial image from TerraServer

• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds official site
• Birdlife International factsheet on Fowlsheugh