| Tees and Hartlepool Foreshore and Wetlands | |
|---|---|
| Location | County Durham, England |
| Area | 255.6 ha (632 acres) |
| Established | 1997 |
| Governing body | Natural England |
| Website | Map of site |
Tees and Hartlepool Foreshore and Wetlands SSSI is a 255.62-hectare (631.7-acre)biological Site of Special Scientific Interest inCounty Durham,Englandnotified in 1997.[1]
SSSIs are designated byNatural England, formallyEnglish Nature, which uses the1974–1996 county system. This means there is no grouping of SSSIs byHartlepool unitary authority, orCounty Durham which is the relevantceremonial county . As such this area is one of 18 SSSIs in theCleveland area of search.[2]
It consists of two disjunct areas - foreshore (grid referenceNZ516348) and wetlands (grid referenceNZ505224), and forms a complex of wetland SSSIs along withCowpen Marsh,Seal Sands andSouth Gare and Coatham Sands.[3] Parts of the SSSI are in theTeesmouth National Nature Reserve.[4]
Tees and Hartlepool Foreshore and Wetlands SSSI is an important wintering site for waders and wildfowl and supports nationally important populations ofpurple sandpiper,sanderling andNorthern shoveler. Surveys have demonstrated that numbersof other birds, making up significant portions of the Tees estuary's populations, frequently use parts of the SSI for foraging and roosting. These include sanderling,red knot, purple sandpiper andruddy turnstone on the northHartlepool shore andHartlepool Headland; whilecommon redshank,Eurasian curlew,Eurasian teal andcommon shelduck useGreenabella Marsh; northern shoveler, Eurasian teal,Eurasian wigeon,gadwall,Northern lapwing andEuropean golden plover use bothSaltholme Pool andDormans Pools; and common redshank and common shelduck on the North Tees mudflats.[1]