Gibraltar Point

Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve is an area of approximately 4.3 square kilometres in Lincolnshire, England.

The reserve is owned by Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council and is administered by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. The reserve comprises two parallel ridges of sand dunes—the "east dunes" and the "west dunes"—separated by approximately half a kilometre of saltmarsh; and an area on the seaward side with further saltmarsh and sand, shingle and muddy beaches. The reserve extends for a distance of about convert|5|km|mi|0 along the coast, from the southern end of Skegness to the northern corner of The Wash (Gibraltar Point itself is at the southernmost tip, and marks the point where the North Sea coast turns southwest towards Boston). A golf course occupies much of the west dunes (the inland side) at the Skegness end of the area. Gibraltar Point is an area of coastal deposition—at the end of the 18th century, the west dunes were by the shore, but they are now 1 kilometre inland.

In 2006 a new Visitors' Centre opened at the southern end of the reserve. This contains the Wild Coast Exhibition, an exhibition about the habitats and wildlife of Gibraltar Point including 3D models of sand dunes and saltmarshes were visitors can, for example, peer inside the burrow of a natterjack toad. The Nature Discovery Room has interactive displays and marine tanks containing animals found in the sea off the Lincolnshire coast. The Point Café and Look-out serves light meals in the café and gives good views across the reserve and The Wash from the Look-out. There is a gift shop where a wide range of environmental and nature-related items can be purchased.

Situated next to the Visitors' Centre in the old coastguard house and look-out is The Wash Study Centre; this has residential accommodation for up to 36 people in single and twin-bedded rooms as well as laboratory, classroom and library facilities. The centre is open to groups from schools, youth groups, colleges, universities, natural history societies and similar organisations.

The reserve's main car park lies next to the Visitors' Centre and there is a second car park about a kilometre up the road to Skegness. Revenue from the car parks assists in the upkeep of the area. There are many paths around the area, and several artificial lakes and hides. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust also owns an old farm and land just inshore of the west dunes at the southern end of the reserve, again with an artificial lake and hides.

The reserve's importance is recognised by its various designations:
*SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest);
*NNR (National Nature Reserve);
*Ramsar wetland site (wetland of international importance);
*SPA (Special Protection Area).

Birdlife

The reserve is home to a great variety of birdlife, mostly wildfowl, waders and gulls. Unusual migrants are frequently seen, and birds commonly found at the site include:

*Little Tern "Sterna albifrons" breed at the site. The following overwinter:
*Bar-tailed Godwit "Limosa lapponica";
*Grey Plover "Pluvialis squatarola,";
*Red Knot "Calidris canutus";
*Eurasian Oystercatcher "Haematopus ostralegus";

External links

* [http://lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/gib/ Gibraltar Point] (Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust)
* [http://www.gibraltarpoint.co.uk Gibraltar Point Blog] (Gibraltar Point Blog)
* [http://www.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=2004 JNCC Page]
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* [http://www.birdobscouncil.org.uk/GibPoint/body_gibpoint.htm Gibraltar Point bird observatory]