and in the early 1990s there were 10 breeding pairs on the wider SPA. The most visible mammals at Loch Fleet are seals: common seals can be seen from the public road at Skelbo year round, and grey seals visit during the winter months. Otter and pipistrelle bats are also found here, along with other typical Scottish land mammals such as roe deer, fox, pine marten, and weasel. Red squirrels and Scottish wildcats have been recorded in the area, but have not been seen in recent years. There are 265 species of vascular plants, over 110 species of lichen, and over 50 species of fungi have been recorded at the Loch Fleet NNR. The most noteworthy flora is that of the pinewood at Balblair Wood, where the nationally important species one-flowered wintergreen, twinflower and creeping lady's-tresses can be found. Other species typically found in native pine forests but otherwise uncommon in Scotland such as common wintergreen and lesser twayblade are also found here. The alder woods around the mouth of the river at the Mound are also significant. History The ruins of Skelbo Castle are situated on the south side of the loch. The Battle of Littleferry was fought a few days before the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The Sutherland militia came down from the hills above Golspie and fell upon around 500 men led by the Earl of Cromarty. Cromarty's men were cornered in the Littleferry peninsula on the northeast side of the loch, and were either killed, captured, or drowned in the loch. The building of the Mound causeway, designed by Thomas Telford and built between 1814 and 1818 to carry what is now the A9 road, reduced the size of the loch. The causeway, which is nearly 1 km long, acts as a tidal barrier, stopping the sea some 2.5 km short of the former tidal limit. Sluices in the causeway allow salmon and sea-trout to continue to migrate upstream to spawning areas, as well providing an outflow for the River Fleet. Conservation designations Loch Fleet became a nature reserve under the management of the Scottish Wildlife Trust in 1970 by agreement with the landowners, Sutherland and Cambusmore Estates. In 1975 it was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI): the Loch Fleet SSSI is slightly larger than the NNR, at 1232 ha, and also covers Coul Links. On 24 March 1997, the Dornoch Firth