Pentland Firth Islands
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), breeding | Unfavourable No Change | — | 2018-12-19 |
| F2 | Vascular plant assemblage | Favourable | — | 2019-11-18 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Coastal
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| Arctic tern | Breeding |
Description
Pentland Firth Islands Pentland Firth Islands, comprising Swona and Muckle Skerry, lie off the coast of South Ronaldsay to the south of Orkney. These low-lying islands are surrounded by low cliffs, with geos, caves and offshore stacks. The islands are covered by a mixture of maritime heath and grassland. Both islands support nationally and internationally important numbers of breeding Arctic terns Sterna paradisaea. On Swona, a nationally rare species of eyebright, Euphrasia heslop-harrisonii, together with three nationally scarce species oysterplant Mertensia maritima and the pondweeds Potamogeton friesii and Potamogeton filiformis, occur.
Species mentioned
Show the 4 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic tern | Sterna paradisaea | EN (Breeding) | bird-tern | laridae |
| oyster plant | Mertensia maritima | VU | herb | boraginaceae |
| slender leaved pondween | Potamogeton filiformis | Not listed in GB list | herb | potamogetonaceae |
| flat stalked pondweed | Potamogeton friesii | VU | herb | potamogetonaceae |