ST CYRUS AND KINNABER LINKS Site of Special Scientific Interest

SITE MANAGEMENT STATEMENT

Site code: 1468

Address: 16/17 Rubislaw Terrace, AB10 1XE. Tel: 01224 642863. Email: [email protected].

Purpose This is a public statement prepared by SNH for other owners and occupiers of the SSSI. It outlines the reasons why the site is notified as an SSSI and provides guidance on how the site’s special natural features should be conserved or enhanced. This statement does not affect or form part of the statutory notification and does not remove the need to apply for consent for operations requiring consent. We welcome your views on this statement.

Description of the site

St Cyrus and Kinnaber Links SSSI is a coastal dune site lying approximately 3 miles north of Montrose on the coast, forming part of the Montrose Bay. The site is divided by the River North Esk, with St Cyrus to the north and Kinnaber to the south. The diversity of habitats on either side of the river, associated with the dunes, foreshore and river estuary, is complemented by both fossil and active seacliffs at St Cyrus, and by sand-covered shingle on Kinnaber Links. St Cyrus, sheltered beneath base-rich cliffs, is notable as one of the richest and most important botanical sites on the coast of north-east with a number of species at the northern limit of their range in Britain. It also supports rich assemblages of invertebrates and breeding birds. The dune systems of St Cyrus are highly dynamic, due in part to the influence of the changing course of the River North Esk combined with coastal erosional and depositional processes. Further information on the biological features and geology of St Cyrus and Kinnaber Links SSSI is given in Appendix 1.

Natural features of St Cyrus and Feature condition (date monitored) Kinnaber Links SSSI Saltmarsh Partially Destroyed1(October 2000) Sand dune Unfavourable Recovering (October 2000) Shingle Lowland neutral grassland Vascular plant assemblage Favourable, Maintained (August 2004) Breeding bird assemblage Favourable, Maintained (April-August 2002) Moths Favourable, Maintained (Aug 2003) Small blue butterfly Favourable, Maintained (May-September 2002)

1 Assessment of feature condition amended from Unfavourable declining to Partially Destroyed by natural processes connected with movement of the River North Esk.

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The survey of the St Cyrus sand dunes carried out in 2000 recorded an increase in gorse and bracken, but as action is being taken to control and remove gorse and bracken the sand dune feature has been categorised as Unfavourable, Recovering because of action taken to control and remove gorse and bracken. The lichen-rich heath on Kinnaber has declined in the vicinity of the pine plantations due to over- shading. The dunes and saltmarshes have been affected by natural changes in the dynamic coastal system. At St Cyrus a new foredune was created at the place where the sea entered a former river channel, thus preventing winter flooding, and reducing the saltmarsh in the channel to a narrow strip. In contrast, the Kinnaber saltmarsh, around a tidal creek and small lagoon, is largely intact.

The other natural features are in favourable condition.

Past and present management

St Cyrus and Kinnaber Links has a long history of coastal fishing, dating back to at least Roman times. The River North Esk still supports a large population of salmon and sea trout. The intensity of coastal netting has declined over the last 20 years. Several buildings on the site are linked to past fishing activities. In the past the ground vegetation on parts of the site was burnt to allow access for fishermen, to restrict the spread of gorse and for conservation purposes. Traditional salmon fishing activity has had very limited impact on the wildlife features on the site and in many respects has contributed to their survival to more recent times.

The old railway line, which comprises one section of the SSSI, ceased operation in 1966. Parts of Kinnaber Links were grazed by sheep until recently and parts of the dunes and dune pasture were used for cattle grazing, but the latter has not happened for several decades. In the mid-1980’s part of St Cyrus was grazed by a few ponies for 3 or 4 years.

Most of the St Cyrus section is managed as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) either under SNH's ownership or under agreement with the landowner. The reserve is heavily used for informal recreation, primarily by walkers and family groups, many of those walking to and picnicking in the dunes and on the beach. It is also well used by educational groups and SNH operates a visitor centre in a former lifeboat station, which attracts around 4,000 visitors each year. Occasional rod fishing continues to take place throughout the year. Sheep grazing takes place on the old railway line from 1st August to 31 April, under the auspices of a management agreement between SNH and the owner, to maintain the botanical interest. St Cyrus is heavily grazed by rabbits and some grazing occurs by roe deer, which helps maintain the open, close cropped vegetation on which some plants depend.

In the past Kinnaber links was used for sheep and cattle grazing, Territorial Army training exercises, and organised recreational activities such as clay pigeon shooting, scout camps and barbecues. Today clay pigeon shooting and wildfowling still takes place. The links is also used for informal recreation, both by walkers and birdwatchers, although it is not as heavily visited as St Cyrus. The links are no longer grazed by livestock but rabbits and roe deer occur.

2 A60148.doc Fishing continues along the River North Esk, coastal netting having recently been bought out by the local fishery board.

A sewage outfall for the village of St Cyrus at the east end of the beach is no longer in use. Overhead power lines are present in the west of the site.

Objectives for Management (and key factors influencing the condition of natural features) We wish to work with the other owners of the site to protect the site and to maintain and where necessary enhance its features of special interest. SNH aims to carry out site survey, monitoring and research as appropriate to increase our knowledge and understanding of the site and its natural features and monitor the effectiveness of the management agreements.

1. To maintain the condition of the sand dune, shingle, grassland and saltmarsh habitats, whilst allowing coastal processes to operate. • Maintenance of the active coastal landforms is dependent upon the processes of sand deposition and erosion by wind, waves and currents. The beach-dune system will evolve naturally in response to these changes, but can have impacts on dune habitats and saltmarsh. • There is evidence that the St Cyrus saltmarsh may be subject to a natural cycle over thousands of years. This involves the build-up of sediments at the mouth of the river and the migration of the river in a north-easterly direction until the river breaks through leaving an old channel. • Grazing by rabbits is beneficial to the dunes and grassland habitats, though overgrazing could be occurring in some locations on the St Cyrus dunes. • The Kinnaber dunes and saltmarsh have been affected by previous localised disturbance.

2. To maintain the diversity of rare vascular plant species. • Rabbits are controlled locally to prevent damage to the cliff face or the undermining of footpaths by burrowing. • Sheep grazing is carried out, outside the months of May, June, and July, along parts of the dismantled railway line, to maintain the botanical diversity

3. To maintain the diversity of breeding birds. • People, dogs and predators can cause disturbance to breeding and birds and their habitats.

4. To maintain the scarce butterfly and moth populations and the diversity of habitats associated with these. • The notable moths are associated with the sand dunes and haughs, their larvae feeding on species such as ragwort, restharrow, marram grass, lyme grass, lesser burdock, mouse-ear-hawkweed, hemp-agrimony, thyme, goldenrod, sow-thistle, wood false brome, rose and elm.

5. To maintain the diversity of the lichen species, particularly on Kinnaber Links.

3 A60148.doc • Important lichen species are found on Kinnaber Links. Lichens are susceptible to erosion by vehicles, people and animals and shading by trees. • The rabbit population is beneficial to the scientific interest of the site although overgrazing could be occurring in some locations.

6. To maintain the diversity of the grasshopper and ground hopper species. • Grasshoppers and ground hoppers at the site rely on low grassy swards and open track habitat.

7. To promote informal recreation opportunities which achieve sustainable enjoyment of the natural heritage, primarily on the NNR. • Dog fouling is a hazard and deterrent to recreational and educational users of the site. • St Cyrus is used as a route to the beach by recreational horse riders. SNH will monitor any impacts on the dunes, such as erosion and trampling, which are not significant at present.

Other factors affecting the natural features of the site

• Oil pollution: Marine and oil related pollution pose a threat to sea birds on the site.

Date last reviewed: 29 May 2009.

4 A60148.doc Appendix 1 Further information on the biological features and geology of St Cyrus and Kinnaber Links SSSI

Biological features

Habitats and plant species

St Cyrus supports a very rich flora, with over 300 species of vascular plant recorded. Within the site, there is a succession of plant communities as one moves inland from the sea. (The following descriptions use the National Vegetation Classification, or NVC).

A shingle strandline community characterised by sea sandwort Honckenya peploides and sea kale Crambe maritima (NVC type SD2) can be found below the cliffs at the north end of the SSSI and around the estuary of the River North Esk. The most prominent components here are sea kale and prickly saltwort Salsola kali, both able to withstand burial by sand, salt spray and even immersion in salt water.

The dunes, which stretch almost the entire length of the SSSI and vary in height between 2 and 12 metres, show a varied gradation of dune communities. Nearer the sea, the foredunes are dominated by sand couch-grass Elytrigia juncea, which is replaced further inland by mobile dunes of marram grass Ammophila arenaria and lyme-grass Leymus arenarius (SD5 and SD6). As the dunes increase in height, these communities grade into semi-fixed and fixed dune of marram grass, red fescue Festuca rubra, false oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius, lady’s bedstraw Galium verum and sand sedge Carex arenaria (SD7-10).

Flowering plants include yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor, restharrow Ononis repens clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata, hairy violet Viola hirta, bloody crane’s-bill Geranium sanguineum, maiden pink Dianthus deltoides and the occasional Nottingham catchfly Silene nutans. Purple milk vetch Astragalus danicus and heath violet Viola canina occur on Kinnaber. Taller species such as ragwort Senecio jacobaea, hogweed Heracleum sphondylium and creeping thistle Cirsium arvense are more prominent in some parts of the site. On the well-drained acid soils on the Kinnaber side dune heath partly takes the place of fixed dune grassland. It is dominated by dwarf shrubs, mainly heather Calluna vulgaris and bell heather Erica cinerea, and over 80 species of lichens in particular Cladonia spp..

The area directly below the cliffs is enriched provided by the eroding cliffs. It includes vegetation dominated by bracken Pteridium aquilinum, with primrose Primula vulgaris, cowslip P. veris and their hybrid, false oxlip P. vulgaris x veris.

The unstable cliffs above are host to maritime cliff and cliff-top grassland communities, the former characterised by thrift Armeria maritima, sea mouse-ear Cerastium diffusum and red fescue Festuca rubra (MC8 and MC5). On the driest ledges and slopes with a minimum of soil, Nottingham catchfly appears again, along with soft trefoil Trifolium striatum, rough trefoil T. scabrum and wild onion Allium vineale. Viper’s bugloss Echium vulgare also occurs.

5 A60148.doc In the northern part of the reserve, where the cliff slopes come much closer to the sea, sea plantain Plantago maritima, buck-horn plantain P. coronopus and sea campion Silene uniflora characterise the maritime grassland communities. Other plants here include sea wormwood Seriphidium maritimum and purple milk vetch Astragalus danicus, both on a stack close to the sea, and kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, which supports a small colony of small blue butterfly. Unusually, henbane Hyoscyamus niger, thought to be an introduction, is also found here.

More sheltered, stable, conditions allow the development of more closed communities of grasses and herbs, including marjoram Origanum vulgare, bloody crane’s-bill Geranium sanguineum, wild liquorice Astragalus glycyphyllos, wood vetch Vicia sylvatica and hairy St John’s wort Hypericum hirsutum. Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum occurs along seepage lines.

The cliff grasslands extend onto the banks of the adjacent railway cutting, with contrasting amounts of shelter on either bank.

The haughs by Warburton hold semi-natural woodland and scrub, composed largely of ash and sycamore, but also elm, along with gorse scrub with blackthorn. These are frequented by buzzard, sparrowhawk and green woodpecker.

Following the creation of a new foredune at the place where the sea entered a former river channel, the St Cyrus saltmarsh has been reduced to a narrow strip. The Kinnaber saltmarsh, around a tidal creek and small lagoon, is largely intact. It largely comprises SM16 Festuca and SM28 Elymus repens types, the former with saltmarsh rush Juncus gerardii and sea milkwort Glaux maritima, and locally frequent saltmarsh grass Puccinellia maritima, sea arrowgrass Triglochin maritimum and sea spurrey Spergularia media. In addition, slender spike-rush Eleocharis uniglumis and sea club-rush Bolboschoenus maritimus form small stands of S21 and S20 swamp along the margins of the lagoon and creek.

The SSSI has an unusually high number of vascular plant species at, or near, the northernmost limit of their range in Britain. These include the nationally scarce Nottingham catchfly Silene nutans var. smithiana, wild liquorice Astragalus glycyphyllos, hairy violet Viola hirta, the nationally scarce maiden pink Dianthus deltoides, clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata, rough clover Trifolium scabrum and knotted clover T. striatum.

Kinnaber Links is important for lichens with a number of rare or scarce, and montane and epiphytic species. The occurrence of Cladonia uncialis ssp. uncialis is particularly significant as its distribution within Britain is restricted to north-east of Scotland. The rare Vulpicida pinastri has also been recorded. Cetraria islandica and Pseudevernia furfuracea are the most prominent of the montane and epiphytic species, which also include Usnea subfloridana and Evernia prunastri, and Umbilicaria species. At St Cyrus two rare lichens have been recorded at the base of cliffs: Lecidella viridans, previously only recorded in England, and Verrucaria viridula, which had only been recorded from three other localities in Britain. Another scarce species of maritime rocks, Caloplaca arnoldii, also occurs.

6 A60148.doc Fauna

The diverse plant communities found at St Cyrus provide excellent habitat for a wide range of birds. Nearly 200 species of bird have been recorded on the site, with about 60 regular breeding species. Partridge Perdix perdix, whitethroat Sylvia communis, stonechat Saxicola torquata and grasshopper warbler Locustella naevia, have bred successfully on the reserve. A healthy colony of fulmar Fulmarus glacialis exists on the cliffs, but the previously abundant little tern Sterna albifrons did not breed on the reserve between 1987 and 2006.

The range of habitats and plant communities at St Cyrus supports a rich invertebrate population, with the most diverse moth and butterfly fauna of any site in Eastern Scotland. Butterflies include the nationally scarce northern brown argus Arica artaxerxes, the grayling Hipparchia semele which is exclusively coastal within Scotland and uncommon on the east coast, and the regionally scarce small blue Cupido minimus, the larvae of which feed on kidney vetch. The moths Elachista subocellea, Metzneria lappella, Oxyptilus parvidactylus, and Cochylidia rupicola are unrecorded elsewhere in Scotland. The lyme grass moth Chortodes elymi and shore wainscot moth Mythimna litoralis have also been recorded. Other scarce species found at St Cyrus include the bordered grey Selidosema brunnearia, Coleophora gryphipennella, Coleophora lixella, Celypha cespitana, Pempeliella dilutella, Hellinsia osteodactylus, Anerastia lotella, Eucosma obumbratana, and bordered sallow Pyrrhia umbra. The dusky-lemon sallow Xanthia gilvago and cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae are at or close to their northernmost limits. The larvae of these moths require a variety of food plants (see above).

The land snail Cepaea nemoralis is also at its northernmost British location here. St Cyrus is also one of two locations in Britain where the land snails Cepaea nemoralis and C. hortensis are found together.

Kinnaber Links is one of the few localities in north-east Scotland with all four species of Scottish grasshopper: common green grasshopper Omocestus viridulus, field grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus, meadow grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus and mottled grasshopper Myrmeleotettix maculatus.

Geology

St Cyrus nestles beneath basaltic cliffs formed in the Devonian period some 395-350 million years ago. The basaltic lavas were extruded up through sedimentary deposits of old red sandstone, and in doing so incorporated many fossils of the period including plants, primitive fish and arthropods. The cliffs are a rich source of minerals which encourage the great diversity of wildflowers at St Cyrus.

The landforms beneath the cliffs have developed over the past 7000 years. A series of five river and sea terraces are visible with progression from the cliffs. These were formed by deposition of material during the retreat of water in times of higher sea levels than at present. In more recent time the development of the dunes has been influenced by the changing direction of the channel of the River North Esk. Prior to 1879 the river flowed northwards, through St Cyrus. A storm in 1879 caused high volumes of water flowing down the River North Esk to breach through the sand

7 A60148.doc dunes and flow in a more direct easterly direction. Recently the River North Esk channel has been migrating north/south on an approximately 10 year cycle, influencing the development and erosion of the dunes and spit system at St Cyrus.

References

O'Dare, A.M. and Coppins, B.J.. 1993. Kinnaber Links and St Cyrus NNR and SSSI Lichen Survey. Scottish Natural Heritage commissioned report.

Crofts, R.S.. 1980. Landform Development in The Natural History of St Cyrus. Nature Conservancy Council, Edinburgh 16-27

Carstairs, D.. 1980. The National Nature Reserve in The Natural History of St Cyrus. Nature Conservancy Council, Edinburgh. 45-52

Dargie, T.. 2000. Sand Dune Survey of Scotland, East Coast – Volume 2: Site reports. Scottish Natural Heritage commissioned report.

Marren, P.. 1980. The Natural History of St Cyrus National Nature Reserve. NCC publication.

Street, L. and S.. 2000. Lichen Site Condition Monitoring Survey Kinnaber Links SSSI and St Cyrus NNR and SSSI Nov 2000, Scottish Natural Heritage commissioned report.

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