Loch Eye is a shallow freshwater loch, located close to the east coast of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
between the
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth (; , or ) is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of the north of Scotland.
It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncans ...
traits
Trait may refer to:
* Phenotypic trait in biology, which involve genes and characteristics of organisms
* Genotypic trait, sometimes but not always presenting as a phenotypic trait
* Personality, traits that predict an individual's behavior.
** ...
of Cromarty") is an arm of the Moray Firth in Scotland.
Geography
The entrance to the Cromarty Firth is guarded by two precipitous headlands; the one on the north high and the one on the ...
. Covering an area of 205 hectares, it is an important site for waterfowl and has been protected since 1986 as a
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Special Protection Area
A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
and a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
.
Loch Eye is nutrient rich, and one of the most important
eutrophic
Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...
lochs north of the Highland boundary fault. It supports internationally important overwintering populations of waterfowl, in particular
whooper swan
The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/ "hooper swan"; ''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type species for the genu ...