Marine Biodiversity Data Portal - NI
Mill Quarter Bay, Strangford Lough.
Survey number: 555 Event number: 19851011/21 Date: 1985-10-11 GPS: 54.31900,-5.54300. Depth: 3.5 to 0.2 m. [ View map ]
Site Description: The location is a small sandy sheltered bay which has boulders on the surface of sand towards the north and south headlands, being more extensive towards the south. The next bay is totally dominated by the boulders. A large fast flowing freshwater inflow is present running down the shore in an 'S' shape, which has many boulders near it, especially at the top of the shore. These are covered by Porphyra and Ulva (originally recorded as Enteromorpha), whereas the boulders at the headlands are fucoid dominated. Some boulders on the lower shore near the freshwater stream have Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus serratus, Ascophyllum and Fucus ceranoides. A collection was made. The boulders had a good algal diversity. The lower shore below the stream was generally wet with surface water in the rippled surface. The profile here had a convex shape as the stream had eroded a depression in the mid shore. The upper shore had a steeper more constant slope, and was not so wet. Arenicola casts occurred throughout the shore. The sand surface was rippled except where patches of Ulva (originally recorded as Enteromorpha) occurred on the surface. The shore was backed by shingle and a rocky wall which formed the road embankment. The stream entered the shore through a double pipe in the wall. The boulders had an under canopy of Semibalanus, Hildenbrandia, Audouinella mats and Mastocarpus. Seals, oystercatchers, terns and gulls were seen feeding on the sand. These left much guano on the surface.
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Species list (38 species recorded)
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