About Caithness
Caithness is in the Far North of Scotland, and although maybe best known for John O’ Groats and the Castle of Mey, it is also internationally important for colonies of seabirds and vast expanses of blanket bog.
The coastline of Caithness is particularly dramatic with stretches of high cliffs intersected by many geos, many rocky beaches and also some beautiful sandy beaches. At Duncansby you can see some impressive stacks and Dunnet Head is the most northerly part of the British mainland. The East Caithness cliffs are particularly important for breeding seabirds and have been designated as a Special Protection Area. During the months of May to August you can expect to see breeding colonies of puffins, fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots, black guillemots, razorbills, cormorants and shags.
Caithness, along with Sutherland is internationally important for the vast expanses of blanket bog. These two counties have the largest expanse of blanket bog in the world, covering 4,000 km². This is designated as a Special Area of Conservation. At Forsinard you can experience this habitat by visiting the reserve run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. If you are lucky you may spot some of the rare birds for which this is an important nesting habitat. These species include black-throated diver, red-throated diver, dunlin, greenshank, golden plover and hen harrier.
The Scottish primrose is a rare flower which is only found along the north coast of Scotland and in Orkney. It is a very small plant and grows in short grass. One particularly good site for this plant is found at Dunnet.
Comments Off
