Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point


Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest in west Cornwall, England, noted for its biological characteristics. The South West Coast Path runs through the SSSI.

Geography

The site, notified in 1977, is located on the western coast of Cornwall, south of Land's End. It starts in the south at the settlement of Porthgwarra and continues north along the coast of the last sections of the English Channel to Pordenack Point in the north. Other designations are part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Geological Conservation Review site, part of the Penwith Heritage coast, Nature Conservation Reviewsite and there are Scheduled Ancient Monuments within the area.

Wildlife and ecology

Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point Site of Special Scientific Interest is designated for its vegetation of waved maritime heath, and for being of considerable ornithological interest; especially for passage migrants. The southern section, Tol Pedn or Gwennap Head, in particular is favoured by birdwatchers and many travel the length and breadth of Britain to track rare seabirds. The headland is renowned for its relative abundance of passing marine bird species with many common species such as northern gannet, Manx shearwater, common guillemot,, razorbill, northern fulmar, shag and cormorant. Forty-five breeding species have been recorded including the red-billed choughs which have recently been breeding successfully on Gwennap Head, but lost their young to a predator in early May 2015. Other species include Eurasian teal, which is a rare as a breeding bird in Cornwall and European stonechat and common whitethroat.
Resident butterflies include the silver studded blue, large white, small copper, common blue, small tortoiseshell, peacock, comma, small pearl-bordered fritillary, speckled wood, grayling and wall. Some insects also migrate and butterflies often seen include clouded yellow, red admiral and painted lady. Migrant moths include rush veneer, rusty-dot pearl, hummingbird hawk-moth and silver Y.
In 2010 perennial centaury, a national rarity, was refound by Helen and Laurie Oakes. Despite many searches by botanists the species had not been seen in Cornwall since 1962, and survived on only one Welsh site; coastal footpaths of Pembrokeshire National Park, Wales.