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Eilean na Creige Duibhe Kyle of Lochalsh Highlands |
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| Habitat: Small wooded island with well established heronry |
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| Description: Eilean na Creige Duibhe is a small rocky island crowned with woodland, lying close to the southern shore of Loch Carron. The Gaelic name means 'the little island of the Black Crags' and refers to the rugged mainland crags which tower above the island and enhance its setting. A canopy of Scots pine drapes the island, accentuating its domed shape. The pines, between 9m and 15m tall and up to 80 years old have supported a heronry on Eilean na Creige Duibhe for several decades and up to 22 pairs have been recorded nesting here. A dense blanket of heather, bilberry and bracken covers the island's deep layer of peat. Eider ducks nest in the heather and otters often come ashore, although there are no otter holts on the reserves. |
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| Important for: Birds Best time to visit: March-May: Herons |
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| Points of interest: The shallow water along the nearby sheltered shores provides good fishing grounds for the herons. Herons start to breed quite early in the year and the island is usually noisy from June with the bill-clapping of the adults or the begging calls of their ungainly young. The village of Plockton was used as the setting for the BBC drama Hamish Macbeth The 'sand' which gathers on the southern shore of the island, and along the mainland shore at this point, is in fact composed of dead fragments of an interesting lim-covered red seaweed which is washed up from the deeper waters of the loch. |
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| To help you locate the reserve, click here for the map
website www.streetmap.co.uk
(Search for Landranger grid reference: NG824335 - the zoom button is below map to the right)  print page
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| Getting there: Head north out of Kyle of Lochalsh for10km, heading for Plockton, passing through the villages of Badicaul , Drumbuie and Duirinish en route. The reserve is located 2.5km east of Plockton village, and 125 metres from the south shore of Loch Carron. The reserve can be approached in two ways. Either by wading across during the low point of equinotial spring tides, or otherwise rowing boats are available for hire from Plockton village. Landing is possible at the SW or NE opposing corners of the island. There is no suitable parking on the public road. Please do not start fires. |
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