High hopes for a new nature reserve on Solway coast

RSPB Scotland is buying more than 150 hectares of saltmarsh and floodplain on the west coast of Wigtown Bay — a hugely important site for tens of thousands of overwintering wildfowl and wading birds. Plans are underway to create an exciting new nature reserve and visitor experience on the Galloway coastal site, a move supported by Scottish Natural Heritage who are providing £200,000 towards the purchase costs. RSPB Scotland now has to raise an additional £525,000 to assist in the purchase and transformation of the area into a nature reserve.

Wigtown Bay lies on the north of the Solway Firth, which is a major migration route for waterfowl flying south from Iceland, Scandinavia, northern Russia and even Greenland. Every year tens of thousands of these birds use the area as a major stopping-off point to refuel, before continuing south. The coastal mudflats and saltmarsh are teeming with worms, molluscs, crustaceans and invertebrates which provide an energy rich source of food.

Internationally important numbers of wintering Whooper Swans, Pink-footed Geese, as well as Pintails, Golden Plovers, a small Twite population, Curlews and Dunlin, can all be seen at the site. Whimbrels and Black-tailed Godwits also use it as they pass through on migration. Other species wintering here have included more than 1,000 Barnacle Geese flying in from Svalbard, over 3,000 kilometres to the northeast. Hen Harriers and owls are regularly seen in winter, and the bay is also home to breeding Ospreys and Peregrine Falcons, which forage over Baldoon.

Twite, The Wig, Dumfries & Galloway (Photo: Gavin Chambers)

The purchase area sits alongside the largest local nature reserve (LNR) in the UK; the intention is to improve it by creating more wet grassland and to work with local communities to create a reserve that is easily accessible for residents and visitors. This would include creating wildlife viewing and educational opportunities.

Dave Beaumont, RSPB Scotland's regional reserves manager for south and west Scotland, said: "When I visited the Crook of Baldoon in October last year this spectacular stretch of coastal wetland in such an unspoilt location cast its spell over me. I was hooked. We now have a fantastic opportunity to buy and protect this magical place as a vital haven for wildlife as well as a tranquil place for people to enjoy for generations to come. We are very grateful to SNH for their £200,000 grant, which will provide a great boost to biodiversity, tourism, economic development and environmental education in the long term for Wigtown and the surrounding area."

The grazed saltmarsh at the Crook of Baldoon is part of a much wider expanse of this habitat in Wigtown Bay and is of significant conservation importance in its own right. The tradition of lightly grazing this habitat is beneficial for the wildlife it supports, allowing species like Thrift and Sea Milkwort to produce a rich carpet of flowers in spring. RSPB Scotland intends to continue this management using livestock from local farmers.

Inland of the saltmarsh or 'merse', the low floodplain is currently agricultural grassland. Shallow pools and temporary seasonal floods will be created here. This will be attractive to waders like Lapwings, Redshanks, Curlews and Snipe, all of which will nest in the short, tussocky grass and take their chicks to feed around the muddy margins of the pools. A more diverse and flower-rich grassland will also be encouraged to grow on and flower in late summer, when it will be harvested and then prepared for the arrival of the thousands of geese, ducks and Whooper Swans that come to Wigtown Bay during the winter.

Chris Miles, SNH Area Manager, said: "The RSPB proposals for this site fit well with the marketing of the Wigtown Book Town and the Wigtown Bay Ospreys Project. They complement the growing reputation of Dumfries and Galloway for outstanding wildlife tourism, and offer a further opportunity for people to enjoy the local wildlife. Also, the presence of the existing nature reserve will help encourage local people to get involved in the development of the site. This combination of factors made for an unusual opportunity, which is why we are pleased to contribute towards the purchase. We look forward to the RSPB proposals coming to fruition to the benefit of residents and visitors alike."