SPA description
(information as published 2001)
Coquet Island
Coquet Island is located 1 km off the coast of Northumberland in
north-east England. It is a small, flat-topped island with a
plateau extent of c. 7 ha. The island is surrounded by low
sandstone cliffs and a broad rock platform at low tide, partly the
result of former stone quarrying. The peaty soil of the plateau
supports short turf grassland, although where nutrient input from
seabird colonies is greatest, there are dense stands of taller
species, including nettles Urtica spp. These
provide cover for some of the nesting terns. The island is of
importance for a range of breeding seabirds, including four species
of terns, auks and gulls. The seabirds feed outside the SPA in the
nearby waters, as well as more distantly in the North
Sea.
Qualifying species
For individual species accounts visit the Species
Accounts section
This site qualifies under Article 4.1 of the
Directive (79/409/EEC) by supporting populations of European
importance of the following species listed on Annex I of the
Directive:
During the breeding season;
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea, 700 pairs representing
at least 1.6% of the breeding population in Great Britain (Four
count mean, 1993 & 1995-1997)
Common Tern Sterna hirundo, 740 pairs representing at
least 6.0% of the breeding population in Great Britain (5 year
mean, 1993-1997)
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, 31 pairs representing
at least 51.7% of the breeding population in Great Britain (5 year
mean, 1993-1997)
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis, 1,590 pairs
representing at least 11.4% of the breeding population in Great
Britain (5 year mean, 1993-1997)
This site also qualifies under Article 4.2 of
the Directive (79/409/EEC) by supporting populations of European
importance of the following migratory species:
During the breeding season;
Puffin Fratercula arctica, 11,400 pairs representing
at least 1.3% of the breeding population (1995)
Assemblage qualification: A seabird assemblage of
international importance
The area qualifies under Article 4.2 of the
Directive (79/409/EEC) by regularly supporting at least 20,000
seabirds
During the breeding season, the area regularly supports 33,448
individual seabirds including: Black-headed Gull Larus
ridibundus, Puffin Fratercula arctica, Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea, Common Tern Sterna hirundo,
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, Sandwich Tern Sterna
sandvicensis.
Note:
Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of
a site in these pages does not imply any right of public
access.
Note that sites selected for waterbird species on the basis of
their occurrence in the breeding, passage or winter periods also
provide legal protection for these species when they occur at other
times of the year.