Loch Fleet
Encyclopedia
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
.
(SPA) was established for wildlife conservation. The SPA covers 7836.33 hectares (19,364 acre) of Loch Fleet, the Dornoch Firth
, Morrich More
, the Mound Alderwoods and Tarbat Ness. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee
described it as "one of the best examples in northwest Europe of a large complex estuary which has been relatively unaffected by industrial development".
The total SPA hosts significant populations of the following birds:
Heading inland, the alder
woods around the mouth of the river at the Mound are significant.
are situated on the south side of the loch.
The Battle of Littleferry was fought on the day before the Battle of Culloden
in 1746. The Sutherland militia came down from the hills above Golspie and fell upon around 500 men led by the Earl of Cromarty. Cromarty's men were cornered in the Littleferry peninsula on the northeast side of the loch, and were either killed, captured, or drowned in the loch.
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
on the east coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, located between Golspie
Golspie
Golspie is a coastal village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. It has a population of around 1,650 people. It is located picturesquely on the shores of the North Sea in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie ....
and Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
. It forms the estuary of the River Fleet, a small spate river that rises in the hills east of Lairg
Lairg
Lairg is a village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. It has a population of about 700and is situated at the south-eastern end of Lairg is a village in [[Sutherland]], [[Highland |Highland]], [[Scotland]]...
.
Geography and geology
Loch Fleet is a shallow, bar-built estuary with extensive sand-flats and mud-flats backed by saltmarsh and sand dunes.Flora and fauna
On 24 March 1997, the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet Special Protection AreaSpecial Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
(SPA) was established for wildlife conservation. The SPA covers 7836.33 hectares (19,364 acre) of Loch Fleet, the Dornoch Firth
Dornoch Firth
The Dornoch Firth is a firth on the east coast of Highland, in northern Scotland. It forms part of the boundary between Ross and Cromarty, to the south, and Sutherland, to the north....
, Morrich More
Morrich More
Morrich More is an extensive area of dune grassland with wetland communities, on the southern shore of the Dornoch Firth, Scotland.Morrich More lies east of Tain, on the southern shore of the Dornoch Firth, Scotland. Offshore lie extensive areas of intertidal sandflat, including the tidal island of...
, the Mound Alderwoods and Tarbat Ness. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee is the statutory adviser to the UK Government on national and international nature conservation. Its work contributes to maintaining and enriching biological diversity, conserving geological features and sustaining natural systems...
described it as "one of the best examples in northwest Europe of a large complex estuary which has been relatively unaffected by industrial development".
The total SPA hosts significant populations of the following birds:
- Breeding: OspreyOspreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
Pandion haliaetus - in the early 1990s there were 10 breeding pairs. - Overwintering: Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitThe Bar-tailed Godwit is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World...
Limosa lapponica, Greylag GooseGreylag GooseThe Greylag Goose , Anser anser, is a bird with a wide range in the Old World. It is the type species of the genus Anser....
Anser anser, WigeonWigeonThe Eurasian Wigeon, also known as Widgeon or Eurasian Widgeon is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is common and widespread within its range...
Anas penelope, CurlewCurlewThe curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
Numenius arquata, DunlinDunlinThe Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader, sometimes separated with the other "stints" in Erolia. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East...
Calidris alpina alpina, OystercatcherOystercatcherThe oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia...
Haematopus ostralegus and TealCommon TealThe Eurasian Teal or Common Teal is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian Teal is often called simply the Teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range...
Anas crecca.
Heading inland, the alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
woods around the mouth of the river at the Mound are significant.
History
The ruins of Skelbo CastleSkelbo Castle
Skelbo Castle is a ruined 14th century keep, located on the high shore at the mouth of Loch Fleet in the Highlands in Scotland. The remaining wall is best preserved at the northern side of the castle...
are situated on the south side of the loch.
The Battle of Littleferry was fought on the day before the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746. The Sutherland militia came down from the hills above Golspie and fell upon around 500 men led by the Earl of Cromarty. Cromarty's men were cornered in the Littleferry peninsula on the northeast side of the loch, and were either killed, captured, or drowned in the loch.