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The site was identified as important in 2007 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus	LC	winter	2001-2006	68 individuals	C6
Greylag Goose Anser anser	LC	winter	2001-2006	3,434 individuals	B1i, C3
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca	VU	winter	2001-2006	1,738 individuals	B2
Greater Scaup Aythya marila	LC	winter	2001-2006	782 individuals	B2
Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope	LC	passage	2001-2006	31,016 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope	LC	winter	2001-2006	16,709 individuals	B1i, C3
Common Teal Anas crecca	LC	passage	2001-2006	4,160 individuals	B1i, C3
Common Teal Anas crecca	LC	winter	2001-2006	5,107 individuals	B1i, C3
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus	NT	passage	2001-2006	9,116 individuals	B1i, C3
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	passage	2001-2006	3,719 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter	2001-2006	3,615 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C3
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	NT	passage	2001-2006	1,279 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C6
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	NT	winter	2001-2006	3,494 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C6
Red Knot Calidris canutus	NT	winter	2001-2006	8,150 individuals	B1i, B2, C3
Common Redshank Tringa totanus	LC	passage	2001-2006	4,131 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Common Redshank Tringa totanus	LC	winter	2001-2006	4,287 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus	LC	breeding	1999-2000	230 breeding pairs	B3
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	LC	breeding	2000	527 breeding pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	passage	2001-2006	71,037 individuals	A4iii, C4
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	2001-2006	87,459 individuals	A4iii, C4

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2018) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Loch Fleet (SWT)	Reserve	8
-	Culbin Sands	RSPB Reserve	6
-	Nigg and Udale Bays	RSPB Reserve	9
-	Culbin Sands, Forest and Findhorn Bay	Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)	13
1963	Strathfleet	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1970	Loch Fleet	Nature Reserve	4
1973	Culbin Sands, Culbin Forest and Findhorn Bay	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	12
1973	Tarbat Ness	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1974	Morrich More	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	18
1974	Cromarty Firth	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	22
1974	Beauly Firth	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	13
1974	Mound Alderwoods	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	2
1974	Munlochy Bay	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	2
1975	Dornoch Firth	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	22
1975	Loch Fleet	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	8
1975	Whiteness Head	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	2
1977	Culbin Sands	Nature Reserve	6
1980	Dornoch Firth	National Scenic Area	38
1986	Moray and Nairn Coast	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	15
1986	Spey Bay	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1988	Lower River Spey	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	1
1989	Nigg & Udale Bays	Nature Reserve	9
1989	Edderton Sands	Nature Reserve	<1
1991	Spey Bay	Nature Reserve	<1
1995	Culbin Bar	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	3
1995	Mound Alderwoods	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	2
1995	Lower River Conon	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	1
1996	Dornoch Firth And Morrich More	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	38
1996	Moray Firth	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	6
1997	Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	49
1997	Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	48
1997	Moray and Nairn Coast	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	15
1997	Longman and Castle Stuart Bays	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	2
1998	Loch Fleet	National Nature Reserve	7
1998	Findhorn Bay	Local Nature Reserve	5
1998	Lower River Spey - Spey Bay	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	2
1998	River Spey	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	2
1999	Cromarty Firth	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	26
1999	Inner Moray Firth	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	14
1999	River Spey	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	2
2000	Cromarty Firth	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	23
2000	Inner Moray Firth	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	14
2005	Dornoch Firth and Morrich More	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	27
2005	Moray Firth	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	7
2011	Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	32
2011	Cromarty Firth	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	20
2011	Inner Moray Firth	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	12
2011	Moray and Nairn Coast	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	9

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Grassland		minor (<10)
Shrubland	Scrub, Heathland	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Moray Basin, Firths and Bays (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/moray-basin-firths-and-bays-iba-united-kingdom on 22/11/2024.