Looe Island
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Flora & Fauna
Thanks to the Atkins sisters the island has been carefully conserved and it enjoys the benefit of a virtually frost-free climate. The following listings of plants and birds seen on the island was compiled by the sisters and does may not be definite. With the passing of 'Attie' Atkins the island was handed to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust so that its natural beauty and wildlife may be preserved for the future.
BirdsClick here to view |
| Blackbird |
| Bullfinch |
| Carrion Crow |
| Chiffchaff (Passage migrant) |
| Cormorant |
| Dunlin (Winter visitor) |
| Goldfinch |
| Grasshopper Warbler |
| Great Black Backed gull |
| Greenfinch |
| Hedge Sparrow |
| Herring gull |
| House Sparrow |
| Jackdaw |
| Lesser Black Backed gull |
| Linnet |
| Mallard |
| Oystercatcher |
| Pied Wagtail |
| Purple Sandpiper (Winter visitor) |
| Robin |
| Rock Pippet |
| Sanderling (Winter visitor) |
| Shag |
| Song Thrush |
| Swallow (Summer visitor) |
| Swift (Summer visitor) |
| Turnstone |
| Whimbrel (Passage migrant) |
| Whinchat (Passage migrant) |
| Whitethroat (Summer visitor) |
| Willow Warbler |
| Wood Pigeon (Summer visitor) |
| Wren |
Plants - BeachClick here to view |
| Burdock |
| Common Red Poppy |
| Fat Hen |
| Sea Beet |
| Sea Plantain |
| Sea Rocket |
Plants- Cliff TopClick here to view |
| Common Knotgrass |
| Common Mallow |
| English Stonecrop |
| Everlasting Pea |
| Hairy Tare |
| Sea Campion |
| Thick Leaved Stonecrop |
| Thrift |
Plants - Grassland & HedgerowClick here to view |
Plants - GrassesClick here to view |
| Annual Meadow Grass |
| Cocksfoot |
| Creeping Bent |
| Crested Dogstail |
| False Oat Grass |
| Perennial Rye Grass |
| Rough Meadow Grass |
| Sheep's Fescue |
Plants - WoodlandClick here to view |
Choughs once frequented the island and, earlier still, Puffins were to be seen there. Today it is probable that Little Egrets visit the island since a colony of these attractive white members of the Heron family normally associate with the Mediterranean countries is now established on the Looe River.
In 1823 Thomas Bond wrote that "Looe Island and the cliffs about Looe produce vast quantities of Samphire and Sea Pinks." Rock Samphire is still well established on the rocks and cliffs of East Looe today but there is little evidence of it on the island itself.