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Lairo Water is a surface water body known as an
Lairo Water is a surface water body known as an ayre
Ayre ( ; ) is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man.
It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Andreas, Bride and (Kirk Christ) Lezayre.
T ...
situated on the western coast of Shapinsay
Shapinsay (, ) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. With an area of , it is the eighth largest island in the Orkney archipelago. It is low-lying and, with a bedrock formed from Old Red Sandstone overlain by bo ...
in the Orkney Islands
Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...
. This brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
water body is separated by a narrow bar of land from Veantro Bay. This wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
is an area where a variety of bird species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
may be found. Hogan has suggested that the Lairo Water may have been a source of subsistence food for prehistoric
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...
inhabitants of Shapinsay at Burroughston Broch
Burroughston Broch is an Iron Age broch located on the island of Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands, in Scotland (). The site overlooks the North Sea on the northeast part of Shapinsay. Excavated in the mid 19th century, Burroughston Broch is still ...
.
See also
*The Ouse
The Ouse is a Tide, tidal estuary in northern Shapinsay, Orkney Islands. This water body has been shown on early maps of the island in a very similar shape to its current geometry. The Ouse is fed by small rivulets and upland springs that rise on ...
*Quholm
Quholm () is a farm in the northeast of Shapinsay, in the islands of Orkney, Scotland.
Historical sites
Slightly to the south along Shapinsay's northwest coast are located the coastal ayres of Lairo Water and the Ouse situated within Veantro ...
*Vasa Loch
Vasa Loch is a brackish lagoon in southwestern Shapinsay, Orkney Islands. (Ordnance, 2002) This water body has been shown on early maps of the island in a very similar shape and size to its current geometry, separated from the North Sea by a nar ...
Footnotes
Landforms of Orkney Shapinsay Wetlands of Scotland {{Orkney-geo-stub