North Rona and Sula Sgeir

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SPA description

(information as published 2001)

North Rona and Sula Sgeir

Country	Scotland
Unitary Authority	Comhairle Nan Eilean/Western Isles
SPA status	not yet available
Latitude	59 06 35 N
Longitude	05 59 27 W
SPA EU code	UK9001011
Area (ha)	to be confirmed upon site classification.
Component SSSI/ASSIs	To be confirmed on classification

The two small and remote islands of North Rona and Sula Sgeir lie in the North Atlantic about 65 km from the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. Sula Sgeir is about 15 km west of the far larger North Rona. North Rona is well covered by peat or soil and is vegetated with maritime grassland. Sula Sgeir is subject to severe erosive pressure from sea spray and seabirds and has little soil or vegetation. The islands provide strategically placed nesting localities for large numbers of seabirds which feed in the waters off the north coast of Scotland away from the SPA. They hold a diverse assemblage of species including large numbers of petrels, auks, gulls and Gannet Morus bassanus. It is one of only seven known nesting localities in the EU for Leach's Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa.

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;

Leach's Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa, 2,750 pairs representing at least 5.0% of the breeding population in Great Britain (Seabird Census Register 1986-88)

Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus, 1,000 pairs representing at least 1.2% of the breeding population in Great Britain (Seabird Census Register 1986-88)

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;

Gannet Morus bassanus, 9,000 pairs representing at least 3.4% of the breeding North Atlantic population (Seabird Census Register)

Guillemot Uria aalge, 28,944 pairs representing at least 1.3% of the breeding East Atlantic population (Seabird Census Register)

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 130,000 individual seabirds including: Puffin Fratercula arctica, Razorbill Alca torda, Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus, Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, Guillemot Uria aalge, Gannet Morus bassanus, Leach's Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa, Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus.

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.