Nature – Caerlaverock Estate

Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve, stretching along almost ten miles of coastline, was designated by Bernard, 16th Duke of Norfolk in 1957 and is managed by NatureScot.  It consists of wetland habitats including merse and marsh.  In 1970 the Duke, together with his friend Sir Peter Scott (founder of WWT) established Caerlaverock Wildfowl & Westland Trust, a reserve of 1,450 acres.

A pair of ospreys have nested on the reserve since 2005.  In 2010 two colonies of the prehistoric Triops cancriformis (tadpole shrimp) were discovered on Caerlaverock; they are believed to have the oldest pedigree of any living animal.  The reserves and surrounding areas on the Solway coast host the majority of the Svalbard population of barnacle geese in the winter months, which provide a spectacular sight and sound upon their arrival each autumn.  Caerlaverock is also home to up to 10% of the UK’s breeding population of natterjack toads. 

The ethos of Caerlaverock Estate is one of living in harmony with nature whenever possible, and the Duke of Norfolk’s advocacy of the natural world has been borne out by his daughters and granddaughters with their commitment to conservation.