Castle Semple and Barr Lochs
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Breeding bird assemblage | Favourable | — | 2025-03-24 |
| F2 | Eutrophic loch | Unfavourable No Change | — | 2025-03-27 |
Habitats
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| shoveler | Breeding |
| teal | Breeding |
| tufted duck | Breeding |
Description
CASTLE SEMPLE AND BARR LOCHS Barr Loch and Castle Semple Loch lie immediately adjacent to Lochwinnoch -to the south and east of the village respectively. These water bodies form one of only two semi-natural eutrophic loch systems in west central Scotland and together with their surrounding habitats they support an important wetland breeding bird assemblage. The eutrophic lochs support extensive aquatic and semi-aquatic plant communities dominated by water sedge Carex aquatilis, reed canary-grass Phalaris arundinacea, water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile and tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa. Wetland communities also extend into Aird Meadow where a number of uncommon plant species occur including the Nationally Scarce tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora and the threatened lesser butterfly orchid Platanthera bifolia. The Nationally Scarce eight-stamened waterwort Elatine hydropiper occurs in both lochs. The lochs are separated by the marshland vegetation of Aird Meadow and are surrounded by a number of fringing woodland and willow carr areas – all of which provide nesting habitat for a wide range of breeding bird species including great-crested grebe, teal, shoveler, tufted duck and water rail.
Species mentioned
Show the 11 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| teal | Anas crecca | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| tufted duck | Aythya fuligula | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| shoveler | Spatula clypeata | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| water rail | Rallus aquaticus | LC (Breeding) | bird-rail | threskiornithidae |
| tufted hair grass | Deschampsia cespitosa | LC | grass | poaceae |
| reed canary grass | Phalaris arundinacea | LC | grass | poaceae |
| eight stamened waterwort | Elatine hydropiper | LC | herb | elatinaceae |
| water horsetail | Equisetum fluviatile | LC | herb | equisetaceae |
| creeping jenny | Lysimachia thyrsiflora | LC | herb | primulaceae |
| lesser butterfly orchid | Platanthera bifolia | VU | herb | orchidaceae |
| water sedge | Carex aquatilis | LC | sedge | cyperaceae |
Insects to look out for
These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Deschampsia cespitosa |
| The anomalous Stilbia anomala |
Vulnerable | Deschampsia cespitosa |
| Garden tiger Arctia caja |
Near Threatened | Equisetum fluviatile |
Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.