Designations | |
---|---|
Official name | Ythan Estuary & Meikle Loch |
Designated | 30 March 1998 |
Reference no. | 939[1] |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Meikle_Loch_from_the_air_%28geograph_1842682%29.jpg/220px-Meikle_Loch_from_the_air_%28geograph_1842682%29.jpg)
Meikle Loch is an inland loch some miles north of Collieston, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is designated as part of the Ythan Estuary complex, along with the Sands of Forvie, as a Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. Meikle is a Scots word for large/big, which the loch is when compared to the adjacent Little Loch.
It is a eutrophic loch with limited aquatic vegetation but is important as the home to overwintering pink-footed geese. Additionally, it is an essential breeding location for three species of tern during the summer months and houses a tremendous variety of reedswamp plants.
References
- ^ "Ythan Estuary & Meikle Loch". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
External links
- Special Protection Area designation at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Map sources for Meikle Loch
- PDF Review of Meikle Loch, 2002
57°22′04″N 1°57′12″W / 57.367803°N 1.953272°W