Key Habitats and Species
River Steeping |
High Tide |
Snowdrops and
aconites |
Square Pond |
Today, Gibraltar Point NNR is made up of about 430ha of coastal land running southwards from the edge of Skegness to the mouth of the River Steeping, in the form of a very slight spit.
The western edge is made up of stable dunes. The eastern edge of the reserve is made up of the most recent line of dunes, the area of saltmarsh between, shows a gradation in age from north to south.
At the southern end, where the marsh opens to the sea, new saltmarsh is still forming, whilst further north there is older saltmarsh. Further North still, there is freshwater marsh, isolated by the 'Bulldog Bank' sea defence.
So, Gibraltar Point contains many of the 'soft coast' habitats, in different stages of formation. Botanically, the site is rich and varied. The dune sand is mildly calcareous, and where a fine turf has developed on the oldest dunes it has some of the characteristics of chalk downland.
Plants of interest include Cowslips (Primula veris), Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum), Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata) and many others.
In more open areas, there is Dove's-foot Crane's-bill (Geranium molle), Early Forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosissima), Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites) and Thyme-leaved Sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia).
More obvious are the extensive stands of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), which is very invasive, but is an attractive plant and provides good food and cover for birds. Around the scrub, the alien Spring Beauty (Claytonia perfoliata), is well established and locally abundant, looking quite at home. On the saltmarsh, there is a very different range of plants. The more stable parts have an abundance of mainly Sea Lavender (Limonium vulgare) but also L. humile, Sea Aster, Aster tripolium, Thrift, Armeria maritima, Sea Milkwort, Glaux maritima and many others. Sea Purslane (Halimione portulacoides) grows alongside creeks, and Glasswort (Salicornia spp.), forms the pioneer zone, advancing across the uncolonized mud.
In the freshwater marsh, there is a different range of plants again, though there is a good degree of overlap. Yellow rattle (Rhianthus minor) is abundant in some years, while Lesser Centaury (Centaurium pulchellum) flourishes under certain regimes. Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa), a rare plant in Lincolnshire, also occurs. Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus) and Cuckoo-flower (Cardamine pratensis) are all abundant in damper parts, adding colour to the site in spring.
Gibraltar Point is perhaps best known for its birds and there is a long-established bird observatory and ringing station here. Among the breeding birds, it is the colony of Little Terns (Sterna albifrons) that is the most significant, though numbers vary wildly from year to year. Breeding success varies greatly according to the relationship of the breeding-sites ridges to sea-level and the occurrence of any unusually high tides during the breeding season, though numbers of adults that return vary anyway. Predators have caused this species significant problems in recent years.
Other breeding birds include Redshank (Tringa totanus), Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) (in nationally important numbers), Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) (around 75 pairs) and Lesser Whitethroat (S. curruca) (12 pairs in 1994 in CBC plots alone).
Apart from the breeding birds, Gibraltar Point's mixture of habitats provides an important feeding, roosting and resting area for vast numbers of birds on passage or through the winter. Some 214 species were recorded during 1994 and the total number keeps going up as new 'firsts' are recorded, such as Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus), in 1994. Spectacular migration movements can be witnessed here, such as the 30,000 Swallows (Hirundo rustica), on the 9th September 1995, or the appearance of 481 Common Redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), a few days later. The reserve also includes some huge wader roosts: on the highest tides, tens of thousands of waders roost on the outer shingle, particularly in autumn, but large numbers may occur at almost any time.
Natterjack Toads (Bufo calamita) became extinct on the site very early this century. Recently however, under English Nature's Species Recovery Programme, a small colony has been established on the reserve, and in 1995 saw the first calling males and successful breeding. A good deal of research and effort preceded the reintroduction to try to ensure that the site was in suitable condition. The site is generally too dry for Common Toad (B. bufo) which makes the success of the Natterjack more likely by eliminating interspecific competition.
Gibraltar Point is also a key insect site, with a wide range of species recorded e.g. over 60 species of aculeate hymenoptera, many uncommon moths and several Red Data beetles. Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) reappeared on the site naturally in 1994 and is already doing well, using Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium) as a food plant. Twelve species of dragonfly are recorded annuslly (a good total for this part of the country), and many other aquatic invertebrates associated with the pools are of interest. The Raft Spider (Diomedes fimbriatus) has recently been added to the reserve list and more recording is currently being carried out on spiders.
Among the mammals, apart from the ubiquitous Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) which play a key role in reserve management, the main mammals of interest are the very small colonies of breeding Grey and Common Seals (Halichoerus grypus and Phoca vitulina), the presence of Water and Pygmy Shrews, (Neomys fodiens and Sorex minutus) and a small number of Water Voles (Arvicola terrestris).
