Entrance to Aberlady Bay LNR
Wikimedia Commons
Aberlady Bay in East Lothian, Scotland was the first site to be designated a Local Nature ReserveStatutory designation allowing principal local authorities to protect areas containing wildlife or geological features of particular local interest. in the UK, in 1952;[1] it is also part of the Firth of Forth Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[2] Habitats include sand dunes, salt marsh, intertidal flats, an active sand spit and raised shorelines.[3]
The 582-hectare (1,438 acres) reserve is maintained by East Lothian Council. Two-thirds of the site consists of sand, mudflats and salt marsh falling below the high-tide mark.[4]
The reserve is accessed by a wooden “footbridge to enchantment” made famous by the Scottish writer Nigel Tranter in his autobiographical account of the same name.[5]
Flora and fauna
Many migrant birds arrive from southern Europe and Africa in the spring and summer. In autumn, the reserve has hosted more than 30,000 pink-footed geese. Species of bird found nesting on the site include sedge warblers, whitethroats, blackcaps and a few species of wading birds including redshank and ringed plover.[1]
The diverse array of wildflowers found at Aberlady Bay supports a wide variety of invertebrate life, which in turn provides the birds with an abundance of food with which to feed their young.[1]