Ribble and Alt Estuaries

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The Ribble and Alt Estuaries lie on the Irish Sea coast of the counties of Lancashire and Merseyside in north-west England.

Numerous species of waders and wildfowl use the estuaries as feeding and over-wintering areas; these include:

Breeding season

• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Ruff Philomachus pugnax

Over wintering

• Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
• Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa islandica
• Bewick's Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii
• Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
• Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
• Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Knot Calidris canutus
• Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
• Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
• Pintail Anas acuta
• Redshank Tringa totanus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
• Teal Anas crecca
• Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
• Wigeon Anas penelope

Migratory

• Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
• Sanderling Calidris alba

This causes the estuaries to be officially designated as a Special Protection Area and as a Ramsar site. Ribble Estuary has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1966.

[edit] See also

• River Alt
• River Ribble

[edit] References

• Classification as a Special Protection Area. Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
• SSSI citation sheet. English Nature.

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