The East Sanday Coast is a protected wetland area on and around the island of Sanday, the third-largest of the Orkney islands off the north coast of Scotland. With a total protected area of 1,515 hectares, the 55 kilometre stretch of coast includes rocky and sandy sections, sand dunes, machair habitats, intertidal flats, and saltmarsh. It has been protected as a Ramsar Site since 1997.[1]
| East Sanday Coast | |
|---|---|
| Location | Orkney, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 59°16′00″N 2°31′00″W / 59.266667°N 2.516667°W |
| Area | 15.15 km2 (5.85 sq mi)[1] |
| Established | 1997 |
| Governing body | Joint Nature Conservation Committee |
The area supports a large number of over-wintering waders and waterbirds, including internationally important populations of purple sandpiper and ruddy turnstone. It is also important for breeding populations of great black-backed gulls and common seals.[2]
As well as the East Sanday Coast being recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,[1] the whole of the island of Sanday has been designated a Special Area of Conservation.[3]