Description of the Interest Features and their Current Condition

The site is a Special Protection Area (SPA) classified by the EU in August 1997, with marine extension classified on September 2009

The site is notified for the following features:

  • Seabird assemblage, Breeding

Further details of these interest features can be found in the SPA Citation for the site.

St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA in of importance for its assemblage of breeding bird species. The site regularly supports in excess of 70,000 individual seabirds, including nationally important populations of:

  • razorbill Alca torda
  • common guillemot Uria aalge
  • black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
  • herring gull Larus argentatus)
  • European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis

SPA comprises an area of sea cliffs and coastal strip stretching over 10km along the Berwickshire Coast north of St Abb’s and extends approximately 1 km into the marine environment to include the seabed, water column and surface.

Condition assessments of the MPA undertaken by NatureScot can be viewed HERE

Map of Interest Features

No mapping of SPA features is available for this site. Mapping of priority habitats from within the SPA can be viewed on the MAGIC website

Sensitivities of Interest Features

The summary given below is provided for informal guidance only. Please note that NatureScot should be contacted for a definitive view on site pressures and sensitivities when making decisions about management activities or preparing Habitats Regulations Assessments.

This site is potentially sensitive to any activities which might:

  • Negatively affects breeding populations of important breeding bird species
  • Negatively affects the availability and/or quality of breeding habitat for important bird species
  • Increases disturbance to important bird species while nesting, roosting, foraging, feeding, moulting or loafing
  • Negatively affects the safe passage for important bird species between nesting and feeding sites
  • Negatively affects food availability for the bird species for which the site is designated
  • Negatively affects water quality (including turbidity, nutrient status, contaminants and dissolved oxygen)

Overlap with other sites

This site partially overlaps with the following MPAs:

The following SSSIs overlap partially with this MPA: