Loch of Aboyne
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| Loch of Aboyne | |
|---|---|
| Aboyne loch | |
 | |
  Loch of Aboyne | |
| Location | Grampian, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57°05′15″N 2°46′01″W / 57.0874°N 2.767°W |
| Type | artificial formed freshwater loch |
| Basin countries | Scotland |
| Surface area | 12.2 ha (30 acres)[1] |
| Average depth | 1.8 m (6 ft)[2] |
| Max. depth | 3.4 m (11 ft)[2] |
| Water volume | 280,000 m3 (10,000,000 cu ft)[2] |
| Shore length1 | 2.2 km (1.4 mi)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 136 m (446 ft)[1] |
| Islands | 0[1] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Loch of Aboyne is a shallow, artificial formed, freshwater loch in Grampian, Scotland. It lies 1+1⁄4 miles (2 km) northeast of Aboyne and 28 miles (45 km) west-southwest of Aberdeen. An earthen dam was constructed around 1834 to retain the loch. It also served as a reservoir for a nearby mill.[3]
The loch was surveyed[2] on 13 July 1905 by T.N. Johnston and L.W. Collett and later charted [4] as part of the Sir John Murray's Bathymetrical Survey of Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland 1897-1909.
Flora and fauna
The loch was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1984 owing to its aquatic flora and fauna and rich reedbed and fen vegetation. It has one of the finest submerged floras in the area with 8 species of pondweeds. There is a high diversity of leeches and pond snails and modest numbers of passage and wintering wildfowl including wigeon, goosander and whooper swans.[5] It provides a valuable habitat for waterfowl and other birds, with Osprey regularly seen plucking fish from the water. It is also an important site for butterflies.[3]