W I L D L I F E G U I D E

Where every name tells a story

Scotland’sSouthern Coast

This wildlife guide is an introduction to the creatures and plants that haveinspired place names on the long andvaried coast of Dumfries and Galloway.

Habitats range from the vast tidal flats of theinner Solway Firth to the sea cliffs of the Rhinsand provide many opportunities to getprivileged views of wildlife.

Visit one of the coastal nature reserves to seewildlife and go to visitor centres to find outmore about wildlife watching. Ask people whoknow the area where the good places are to goor get a detailed Ordnance Survey map andplan your own adventure.

COASTAL WILDLIFE

EVERY NAME TELLS A STORY

All names begin by describing a place to another person or groupof people, as a way of helping us find our way in the world. Someplace names have existed for hundreds of years, while others area modern phenomenon, but they all tell a story. Place names canprovide clues about where to see wildlife but also reveal whatpeople consider noteworthy. For example Hawk’s Hole indicatesthe haunt of peregrines on the cliffs and Seals Cave a haul-out forgrey seals.

Place names sometimes identify the locations where wildlife wasfound in the past. Wild cats, for example, have been extinct inDumfries and Galloway since the early 1800s but feature inseveral place names suggesting that the rugged coast was oncehome to these handsome predators.

Find out more about the connections between place namesand social history, local customs and beliefs by visiting:www.solwayfirthpartnership.co.uk/solway-coastwise

TAKE CARE

Enjoy your visit to the coast but remember tobe careful.

Scottish weather can be unpredictable.Check weather forecasts and takeappropriate clothing and footwear.

Scottish coasts can be rugged and remote,so tell a family member or friend where youare going and when you expect to be back.

The Solway coast has one of the biggest tidalranges in the world. Remember to check tidetimes to avoid getting stranded on the vastsandflats or tidal bays.

The coast is bursting with life so try andavoid disturbing wildlife, particularly shore-nesting birds in spring.

The coast is beautiful and to keep it that way,take your litter home with you.

Juniper is a long lived, native tree with‘berries’ that are used to flavour foodand drink. It thrives in some of theharshest environments in Scotland andis found on remote crags in upland areasas well as on the coast where it growsflattened against exposed rock faceswith a gnarled trunk.

This very slow growing plant forms alow growing carpet but can be over 200years old. Juniper can be found on manywest facing coasts, particularly on theRhins, but you need a keen eye to spot itclinging onto high cliffs.

Spot juniper when on cliff top walks

Juniper Rock NW960648 1JUNIPER

Barnaugh NW993543(not shown on modern maps)

The limpet with its conical shell of varyingsize and colour has radiating ridges and isone of the most distinct molluscs to befound on our rocky shores.

They are so numerous that their presenceis unlikely to have inspired a place name,however, a rock marked on old mapsnorth of Portpatrick is called Barnaugh, aname derived from bàirnich the Gaelic forlimpet. The rock was probably given thisname because of its cone shape ratherthan the limpets that cling to its surface.

2 LIMPET

Spot common limpet on any rocky shore

Dove Cave is the most common wildlifeplace name found on the Dumfries andGalloway coast. The cave dwelling rockdove is the wild ancestor of domesticpigeons and would have been animportant source of food in the past.

Today, even on the remote Gallowaycoast, rock doves have inter bred withtheir domestic cousins resulting inpigeons with a variety of colours andpatterns. However many cliff dwellingpigeons still retain the markings of wildbirds with a grey body, two dark wingbars, a blue head and white rump.

Spot rock doves on any cliff top walk

Dove cave NX225515 3ROCK DOVE / FERAL PIGEON

Foxes, badgers and otters arecommon on the coast, but tend to besecretive and so to see them is oftena surprise. Inchshalloch, a nameshown on old maps for a smallpromontory at the Mull of Galloway isa name derived from Gaelic inis andsionnach meaning island of the fox.

The nearby name Foxes Rattle is alsono longer shown on modern mapsbut confirms this as a place wherefoxes live. Rattle describes a heap ofloose stones used as a foxes den – aterm that appears to be unique tothis area.

4 FOX

Spot foxes on any early morningor evening shoreline walk

Inchshannoch/Foxes Rattle NX154302 (not shown on modern maps)

Maidenhead Shell is a colloquial namefor the cowrie shell on the Isle of Man,as well as in parts of Galloway. Althoughnot at all spectacular in size, the glossy,finely ribbed cowrie shell is believed tobring good luck to the keeper.

It must have been such a prized findthat it was worth naming locationswhere the pretty little shell could begathered. In fact if you are fortunateand look for long enough you mightfind these beautifully formed shells onany sandy beach in Galloway.

Spot cowrie shells washedup on sandy bays

Maidenhead Bay NX091412 5COWRIE

The cormorant is a striking bird oftenseen roosting on favourite rocks anddrying its feathers with a distinctivewing-spreading posture.

The bird has a number of differentnames; Scart is used on place nameson the Rhins and is probably derivedfrom Skarfr the Old Norse forcormorant, while on the rest of theGalloway coast Ducker is used in placenames and refers to the Scots wordDooker meaning diver.

In Galloway, cormorants are sometimesnicknamed ‘elders’ after the churchelders who dressed in black!

6 CORMORANT

Spot cormorants on all rocky shores

Ducker Rock NX450340

Pyot is a Scots name applied to birdswith pied plumage with Shore or SeaPyot being used to describe theoystercatcher. This large, stocky, blackand white wading bird is common onall types of coast. It has a distinctiveloud ‘peeping’ call and a long, orange-red bill which it uses to prize open orbreak into shellfish.

In the summer it nests above thestrandline on rocks, shingle or sandybeaches and the speckled eggs aresurprisingly hard to spot. In the winterthey gather in large numbers on themudflats of estuaries.

Spot oystercatchers anywhere on the coast

Pyot Hole NX486454(not shown on modern maps) 7OYSTERCATCHER

Corby is a Scots name for the raven,the largest of the crow family, with adistinct shape and a heavy bill.Tumbling in the updrafts of a seacliff the ‘gronking’ call of a raven isone of the most evocative sounds of our rugged shore line.

Ravens often return to the samespot each spring and bring new nestmaterial so that the nests becomelarge, untidy piles of sticks. Thesetowers of sticks often remain as aland mark long after the nest hasbeen abandoned.

8 RAVEN

Spot raven on remote coasts

Corbies Cove NX528522

Rock samphire is a succulent plant which can be found growing on the sun warmed cliffs of southwest Scotland,where it is at the furthest north of itsrange. The pungent leaves were oncecollected to make into a pickle.

The Scots name for samphire is Pasper,with Paspery meaning an area covered insamphire. Pasbuery Rock probably refersto the presence of samphire on the cliffs.Whilst the place name Sapphire, hasnothing to do with precious gems, but is thought to come from themispronunciation of samphire which is a common plant on this stretch ofcoastline.

Spot rock samphire on cliff faces

Pasbuery Rock NW959641Sapphire NX674447 9ROCK SAMPHIRE

Crabs come in many guises withdescriptive names such as velvetswimming crab and green shore crab.Partan is a Gaelic word for crab and isused more specifically in LowlandScots to describe edible crabs.

These can be identified by thedistinctive piecrust margin to areddish shell. A place name withpartan in it is likely to have been atraditional fishing spot to set creels forcrabs. Today’s commercial fishermenstill catch crabs and lobsters from theirsmall boats along the rocky shores ofDumfries and Galloway.

10 EDIBLE CRAB

Spot young edible crabs underrocks on very low tides

Partan Craig NX821521

The flounder is a common flatfish foundon the seabed where they lie concealedin the sand in order to prey on passingworms and small crustaceans. It oftenventures inshore, where it can gettrapped in pools left by the receding tide.

The flounder in Scotland has neverreached the top of the fine-dining flatfishhierarchy, like sole or plaice, but they canstill make good eating. Known as a Fleukor Fluke in Scots or Leabag in Gaelic. It isbelieved the rock named Craiglebbock isderived from the Gaelic Creag leabagmeaning flounder rock.

Spot flounder in shallow tidal pools

Fleuk Hole NX332447Craiglebbock Rock NX990639 11FLOUNDER

The mussel, misspelt muscle in this placename, has a blue / black oval shell and is acommon sight on any rocky shore. Theyhave adapted to withstand the poundingof waves and strong currents byanchoring themselves to rocks withthreads called ‘byssus’.

When they are submerged these bivalvesdraw in and filter particles from up to 45litres of sea water a day. Clachan in thename Muscle Clachan is Gaelic for stonesbut in Scots has come to mean village. It describes a place where there areextensive beds of mussels and a goodplace to harvest shellfish.

12 MUSSELS

Spot mussels on any rocky shore

Muscle Clachan NX860522

The study of place names can tell us about wildlifedistribution in the past. It is useful to know wherespecies that have become extinct were previouslyfound so they can be considered for reintroduction.Gled, a Scots name for kite, occurs in the coastal placename Gleds Nest supporting the reintroduction of redkite in the area.

Keaw, a local Scots name used for the ‘red leggedjackdaw’ or chough, features in a coastal cave calledKeaw Cove. Although no longer breeding on our cliffs,this name identifies a haunt of choughs in the past, andperhaps a place where they will return.

LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

B

F

A

H

D

G

C

I

E

B724

A710B793

A75

A75

B727

A75

A75

A762

A712

A712 B794

A75

A74(M)

A7

A711

A711

B796

A77

A747

A77

A714

B7027

A714

A713

A

DUMFRIESLOCKERBIE

ANNAN

GRETNANEWABBEY

DALBEATTIE

NEW GALLOWAY

GATEHOUSEOF FLEET

KIRKCUDBRIGHTWIGTOWN

GLENLUCE

CREETOWN

STRANRAER

PORTPATRICK

PORTLOGAN

PORTWILLIAM

NEWTON STEWARTCASTLE DOUGLAS

CARLISLE

A

B

C

D

E

F

RSPB MULL OF GALLOWAY

RSPB CROOK OF BALDOON

WIGTOWN BAY LOCAL NATURERESERVE & VISITOR CENTRE

NTS ROCKCLIFFE

SWT SOUTHWICK

RSPB MERSEHEAD

G

H

I

SWT DRUMMAINS

SNH CAERLAVEROCK

WWT CAERLAVEROCKRESERVE & VISITOR CENTRE

Design: Findlay DesignPhotography: Mick Durham: Peregrine,Grey seal, Raven, Rock dove, Fox Keith Kirk: Oystercatcher flock, Red kiteTom Langlands: OystercatcherPaul Newland: FlounderAll other photographs:Solway Firth Partnership

COASTAL NATURE RESERVES