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Learn more about the different types of protected area in the UK, the threats they face and the closest ones to you.
Spotlight
Five birds visiting the UK’s protected areas this winter
The wildlife in our natural treasures is sure to make your grey winter days sparkling and spectacular.
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While you might think beach days are long behind us, our coasts and estuaries are flooded with wildlife at this time of year. So, forget the flipflops and swap out the bucket and spade; it’s time to wrap up warm and grab some binoculars.
Here are five species you could see now in some of the UK’s natural treasures, our precious protected areas. You’ll discover why legal safeguards, like Special Protection Areas (SPAs), are so important for their survival
1. Pink-footed Goose
A small grey goose may look unremarkable as its muddy colours melt into a surrounding saltmarsh, but these winter visitors are a window into a wilder world. Many Pink-footed Geese start their lives in the shadows of glaciers in the treeless tundra of the Arctic. Their cup-like nests are sometimes built on small islands in lakes – sometimes even on the ledges of cliffs – to keep them safe from predators like Arctic Foxes.
They announce their arrival with cheerful winking calls overhead, brightening up the greyest of September days. The entire Icelandic and eastern Greenland breeding populations spend winter on our shores for our comparatively balmy temperatures.
Where to see them
Find a goose roost and you can witness thousands of birds take to the air at once in a morning. Some of our recommended spots are:
- Norfolk, England. The Wash SPA is home to the highest numbers of waders and wildfowl in the country. Check out RSPB Snettisham to catch the spectacle.
- Lancashire, England. Both the Ribble Estuary, and Morecambe Bay and Duddon Sands SPAs are designated for their Pinkfeet populations. Visit RSPB Marshside for close-up views from its hides.
- Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The dune loch at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg, within the SPA, offers the perfect winter habitat for these geese.
How are they faring?
Pink-footed Geese numbers have made remarkable increases since monitoring first began in the 1960s. Hunting bans on their breeding grounds are contributing to these successes, alongside the conservation and legal protection of their wintering grounds.
2. Bewick’s Swan
Like a snowflake, the pattern on each Bewick’s Swan’s bill is unique. And while these birds may look delicate and dainty, they’re a hardy species. Breeding in Siberia, they’re birds of the permafrost. The frozen top layer of soil melts in the spring and summer months and, as the ground gets soggy and boggy, ephemeral wetland habitats thrive. Glistening in the 24-hour daylight, they’re the perfect breeding grounds for these rare swans.
Bewick’s Swans were named after Thomas Bewick – the illustrator, wood carver and natural historian, who created the first bird ‘field guide’ as we know it: A History of British Birds.
Where to see them
Look out for these small swans sprinkled in with flocks of larger Whoopers. They often feed on flooded fields and farmland.
- Gloucestershire, England. The Severn Estuary SPA, home to saltmarshes and mudflats, is designated specifically for Bewick’s.
- Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, England. The flooded grazing pasture in the Ouse Washes SPA holds almost a third of the north-west European population, while nearby Nene Washes SPA holds 7%.
- Antrim, Northern Ireland. Home to the largest lake in the UK, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg SPA was designated for internationally important populations of these swans – however numbers arriving in Northern Ireland have since declined and they’re becoming an increasingly rare visitor.
How are they faring?
Bewick’s are suffering from severe declines, with Britain’s population crashing by 48% in just five years. Maintaining their winter habitats as feeding grounds is vital to ensure these vulnerable swans reach their nesting sites in prime condition to raise chicks.
The number of birds reaching our shores has also been reduced by climate change. In a phenomenon known as short-stopping, birds no longer have to migrate as far west from their breeding grounds in Siberia before they reach ice-free wetlands.
3. Long-tailed Duck
Decked out in his wintery finery, this sea duck looks like he has put on his tux and tails! But ‘best dressed’ at the office Christmas party isn’t the only award he’s in the running for. These ducks can dive up to 200ft to catch their food, using their powerful wings to propel them, feasting mostly on molluscs and crustaceans.
Long-tailed Ducks are another bird of the tundra marshes, breeding all around the Arctic. In winter, they migrate further south, with the UK just on the edge of their wintering range.
Where to see them
They spend much of their winter in flocks on the sea, with strongholds in sheltered eastern Scottish waters. The Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA and the West Coast of the Outer Hebrides SPA are designated specifically to protect Long-tailed Ducks and provide them with good feeding areas.
However, hope is not lost if you’re not in Scotland. You’re still in with a chance of seeing one of these glamorous ducks as lone birds turn up on inland freshwater pools throughout the winter months across the UK.
How are they faring?
Like many of the globe’s sea ducks, numbers of these birds are rapidly reducing. One of the biggest threats they face is bycatch – where seabirds get accidentally tangled in fishing lines. That’s why fisheries management in our Marine Protection Areas is vital, particularly those designated for seabirds. We’re also working closely with our BirdLife partners to help mitigate these accidents with the use of specialised fishing equipment and practices.
4. Common Scoter
Under the cover of darkness, in spring and autumn, thousands of jet-black ducks migrate over our towns and cities. Until recently, the extent of their numbers was unknown. But thanks to the popularity of ‘noc-mig’ – recording bird sounds overnight – we’re beginning to learn more about these mysterious birds and their movements.
Common Scoters are one of our rarest breeding ducks, with around 50 pairs raising chicks in the entire UK. Their numbers are boosted during the colder months, with an estimated 135,000 individuals wintering in our waters. But, like many of our seafaring species, there’s still lots to discover about their distribution.
In 2003, a developer-led survey for a wind farm revealed a flock of 50,000 birds off the shores of northwest England, which had previously gone unrecorded. This discovery led to the expansion of Liverpool Bay SPA.
Where to see them
Common Scoters can turn up in their flocks, or ‘rafts’, anywhere around the UK’s coastlines. While a telescope will provide the best view, look out for straggling lines of silhouetted seaducks flying over waters in:
- Merseyside, England and Anglesey, Wales. The waters between north-west England and North Wales, in the Liverpool Bay (Bae Lerpwl) SPA, are home to the largest numbers of Common Scoters in Britain.
- Along the east coast of England, from Yorkshire to Suffolk. The Greater Wash SPA is a newer marine SPA, which safeguards these waters.
- Dundrum Bay, Northern Ireland. Although not designated for their populations, it’s one of the most reliable spots in the region and the surrounding coastlines are protected for their precious dune systems.
How are they faring?
Scotland’s breeding population of these scoters has almost halved in the past 30 years. The shallow waters in which these birds are most successfully breeding have higher numbers of invertebrates. Protecting these breeding grounds and ensuring they are productive feeding areas is vital for this species’ future.
5. Red-throated Diver
These birds are masters of the water – streamlined, dense bones, powerful feet. Get them on land, however, and it’s a whole different story. The 'loon' – their old Norse name which is still used on Orkney and in North America – means clumsy or lame.
You’re most likely to see this bird when it’s decked out in drabber greys but that doesn’t make them any less remarkable. Their Latin name, stellata, means ‘set in the stars’ in a rather romantic reference to their speckled backs.
Where to see them?
Red-throated Divers show up all along the UK’s coastline but are more frequently seen on the east coast. Look out for them on shallow sandy bays, including:
- Along England’s east coast, including the Greater Wash SPA.
- In the waters between northwest England and North Wales, in Liverpool Bay SPA.
- Along Scotland’s east coast, particularly in Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA.
- On the north and west coast of Northern Ireland, including Lough Foyle SPA.
How are they faring?
They’re on the UK’s Green List, but numbers can vary year-on-year. Winter numbers peaked in 2011 but have since declined.
Bird surveys, like the Wetland Bird Survey run by BTO in partnership with the RSPB and JNCC, are vital to assessing long-term trends for species. This data, provided by volunteers, helps to get the legal protections and targeted conservation action they need. You can also get stuck in yourself by logging your sightings on your phone on BirdTrack – an app we made in collaboration with BTO, BirdWatch Ireland, the Scottish Ornithologists' Club and the Welsh Ornithological Society.
What is a Special Protection Area?
Many of the UK's most important sites have been granted special legal protections, recognising their value and fragility while seeking to protect them from harm and exploitation. A Special Protection Area is designated specifically to protect bird species. It’s one of the highest legal protections available, recognised and upheld across the EU. Those who own or manage land within these areas must work to protect and restore the species they’re designated for.
But these habitats aren’t just good for birds – they capture carbon, help to protect communities from the impacts of climate change, like flooding and drought, too.