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St Abbs Head to Fast Castle
| Location | United Kingdom, Scotland |
| Central coordinates | 2o 8.72' West 55o 54.91' North |
| IBA criteria | A4iii, B1ii, B3, C3, C4 |
| Area | 249 ha |
| Altitude | 0 - 94m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2007 |
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Site description Exposed cliffs and cliff-ledges, which extend for over 10 km along the Berwickshire coast. The site holds breeding seabirds and waterbirds.
Populations of IBA trigger species
| Species | Season | Period | Population estimate | Quality of estimate | IBA Criteria | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Guillemot Uria aalge | breeding | 1998-2000 | 43,744 individuals | good | B1ii, C3 | Least Concern |
| Razorbill Alca torda | breeding | 1998-2000 | 3,157 individuals | good | B3 | Least Concern |
| A4iii Species group - seabirds | breeding | 1998-2000 | 32,161 breeding pairs | good | A4iii, C4 | |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | breeding | 1998-2000 | 16,962 breeding pairs | good | A4iii, C4 |
Protected areas
| Protected area | Designation | Area (ha) | Relationship with IBA | Overlap with IBA (ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Abb's Head to Fast Castle | Habitats Directive | 127 | protected area contained by site | 127 |
|
| St Abbs Head | National Nature Reserve | 77 | protected area contained by site | 77 | |
| St Abbs Head to Fast Castle | Birds Directive | 251 | is identical to site | 249 |
|
| St Abbs Head-Fast Castle | Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) | 257 | is identical to site | 249 |
Habitats
| IUCN habitat | Habitat detail | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Broadleaved deciduous woodland | 1% |
| Shrubland | Scrub | 5% |
| Wetlands (inland) | Standing freshwater | 5% |
| Coastline | Sea cliffs and rocky shores | 89% |
Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| agriculture | 10% |
| nature conservation and research | 20% |
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: St Abbs Head to Fast Castle. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
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