case studies

Inchinnan Swans

Whooper Swans, after their long journey from Iceland, have a welcome landing site in the form of the flood plain at Inchinnan near Glasgow, a SSSI that has been managed by Greenbelt since 2000.

The site provides an important wintering and passage resort for a flock of migratory Whooper Swans from the Icelandic breeding population. Just a few miles from Glasgow airport, the site provides a regular refuge for the swans in this area which hugs the Black Cart Water, a river originating at Castle Semple Loch near the villages of Howwood and Lochwinnoch.

Inchinnan means "the island of rivers" a name derived from the fact that the ground on which the former parish church stood was formally an island. Over the centuries the land mass has increased and the island disappeared, however the low lying ground beside the river makes it an ideal area for the protected Whooper swans.

Greenbelt maintains the land in such a way as to ensure that environmental conditions are appropriate for what the Swans require, this entails managing the site in such a manner that it provides a suitable habitat for the Whooper Swans while maintaining bird populations at or near there existing levels. This has the added benefit that it provides a reduction in bird movements in and out of the site, thereby reducing the current risk to aircraft safety.

Managed grasslands provide suitable feeding swards for the Whooper Swans while at the same time enhancing and monitoring the grassland habitats for invertebrate and vertebrate animals.

The area is a haven for a host of vegetation and including some locally uncommon or rare plants such as Hemlock and Water Dropwart. Atlantic Salmon have also returned to the river which means that the Black Cart water and the River Gryfe are now designated salmon rivers which are popular with local anglers.

Over and above the Whooper Swans there is a host of other birdlife. These include small populations of Skylark and Reed Bunting as well as a pair of breeding Goosander. Some rare mammals have also made an appearance with perhaps the most significant being Otters which are a UK priority species of conservation concern.