SPA description
(information as published 2001)
Loch of Skene
Loch of Skene is located about 15 km west of Aberdeen in
Scotland. It is a shallow (<2 m deep) eutrophic lowland loch
surrounded by fringing reedbeds and birch-willow carr. The loch
supports an internationally important roost of Icelandic Greylag
Goose Anser anser, as well as Icelandic Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnus. Both swans and geese feed away from the SPA
on surrounding agricultural land during the day.
Qualifying species
For individual species accounts visit the Species
Accounts section
This site qualifies under Article 4.1 of the
Directive (79/409/EEC) by supporting populations of European
importance of the following species listed on Annex I of the
Directive:
Over winter;
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus, 203 individuals
representing up to 3.7% of the wintering population in Great
Britain (5 year peak mean 1991/2 - 1995/6)
This site also qualifies under Article 4.2 of
the Directive (79/409/EEC) by supporting populations of European
importance of the following migratory species:
Over winter;
Greylag Goose Anser anser, 10,840 individuals
representing up to 10.8% of the wintering Iceland/UK/Ireland
population (5 year peak mean 1991/2 - 1995/6)
Note:
Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of
a site in these pages does not imply any right of public
access.
Note that sites selected for waterbird species on the basis of
their occurrence in the breeding, passage or winter periods also
provide legal protection for these species when they occur at other
times of the year.