The Slamannan Plateau is a geographic area and
special protection area in the
Central Belt of
Scotland which encompasses the small villages of
Slamannan,
Limerigg and
Caldercruix. It is situated 5 km south of
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
and about 4 km east of
Cumbernauld, at around 170 m above sea level.
The area is a mosaic of improved
grasslands
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...
and
rough pasture
Rough pasture is non-intensive grazing pasture, commonly found on poor soils, especially in hilly areas, throughout the world.
External linksHill Plan Examples Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the Unit ...
which includes wetlands dominated by ''
Juncus'' species (rushes),
raised,
blanket and
intermediate bogs and two shallow
loch
''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...
s within Fannyside Muir. The area attracts a nationally important population of
taiga bean geese (''Anser fabalis fabalis'').
The area became an area of special scientific interest on 5 September 2007 due to the Slamannan Plateau becoming the primary site for wintering taiga bean geese in the UK with over 50% of the total population in recent years. The majority of the rest of the UK population winters in
Norfolk with occasional small flocks elsewhere.
The geese feed, mostly by day, on agricultural fields mainly eating grasses. In the early evening they fly to their roost sites, or if the weather is bad they can roost within their preferred feeding fields. The birds visit the area between October and the end of February each year.
[{{Cite web, url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/9184, title=Slamannan Plateau SPA, date=9 October 2008, website=Sitelink , access-date=27 April 2019]
References
Geography of Scotland