Coll and Tiree Proposed Special Protection Area One of Europe’s best wildlife sites Coll © Patricia & Angus Macdonald/ Aerographica above Bay, seen from Feall Tiree Coll and Tiree Proposed Special Protection Area Our Scottish seas are rich with marine life. In winter, the waters surrounding Coll and Tiree are a stronghold for great northern divers and common eider. Over 18% of the British (GB) great northern diver population and over 2% of the GB eider population regularly over winter here. This area supports the third largest concentration of great northern divers on the west coast of Scotland. The area shown below is proposed as a Special Protection Area (SPA) because it supports these important wintering populations of great northern diver and common eider. These birds use the sea surrounding the islands to feed, and for other activities such as moulting (eider) and roosting. The proposed SPA will help protect the birds themselves as well as the rich feeding grounds and sheltered waters on which they depend. 0 2.5 5 10 Km 0 2.5 5 10 Miles Proposed SPA (excluding islands) SEA OF THE HEBRIDES Coll Isle of Mull Tiree LOCH TUATH Treshnish Isles Ulva Staa Iona © Crown copyright and database rights 2016 OS 100017908 © Intermap NEXTMap Location: 56º 35.942' N 006º 46.171' W Area: 795 km2 © David Whitaker Common eider The adjacent islands of Coll and Tiree lie off the Proposed qualifying west coast of Scotland in the Inner Hebrides. interests: The proposed SPA encompasses most of the marine waters between and surrounding these Non-breeding islands excluding the south-east coast of Coll. Common eider Both islands have rocky coastlines with extensive Great northern diver areas of sand beaches and bays. Their coastlines offer sheltered, shallow inshore waters over a mud, sand and gravel sea bed, interspersed with submerged rocky ledges. These habitats support a large diversity of fish including haddock and flatfish, as well as shellfish such as crabs and mussels. Great northern divers tend to feed on fish and crabs, whilst eiders feed almost exclusively on shellfish, particularly mussels. They both forage primarily by surface diving, so these rich and shallow waters provide excellent feeding habitats for these wintering birds. Great northern divers are a winter visitor to our Scottish seas and common passage migrant. Common eider are present all year round with males forming moulting flocks as early as May. © Crown copyright and database rights 2016 OS 100017908 © Intermap NEXTMap Making a response and further information To make a response online or for more information about the proposals please go to www.snh.gov.uk/MarineBirdSPAs. If you are unable to make an online response, please contact us and we will send you a copy of the response form. Email: [email protected] Phone: 01463 725025 Post: Marine Bird SPAs Consultation, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness, IV3 8NW To see this leaflet in Gaelic please go to www.snh.gov.uk/MarineBirdSPAs Great northern diver © Laurie Campbell.