Mainland Britain's most northerly point is to become the RSPB's newest nature reserve.
Investment of more than £250,000 is expected to go into providing facilities which will include clifftop viewing points at Dunnet Head which juts out into the Pentland Firth between John O'Groats and Thurso, Caithness.
The 67-acre site contains significant numbers of seabirds and will be managed so that the habitat of the wildlife is protected. It will mean that RSPB staff will be working full-time in Caithness for the first time.
Dunnet Head is considered important in environmental terms as it includes a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the seabird colonies which nest on the red sandstone cliffs.
It is home to 3% of Britain's kittiwakes and 1% of its guillemots. It also has substantial numbers of fulmars, razorbills, puffins, shags, cormorants, gulls and birds of prey including peregrine falcons.
RSPB Scotland hopes in the long term to not only be of benefit to the feathered occupants cramming ledges on the the cliffs, which rise to more than 300ft, but to manage the adjacent land to boost endangered birds, insects and other creatures.
Another management possibility would be providing habitat for twites, moorland-nesting finches which often struggle to find food outside the breeding season, again through agricultural changes.
Encouraging richer wild-flower growth would also boost various insects, such as the great yellow bumblebee.
It is also felt it will provide an opportunity to boost the site's tourism potential. While John O'Groats is famed for being the UK's most northerly mainland town, the headland and its seabird haven are even further north.
The RSPB was approached last year by Ben Colson, the owner of Dunnet Head, who wished to share the management of the landmark area.
Mr Colson, said: "Dunnet Head is an amazing place with which my family - and many others - feel a real bond. We're delighted to be able to pass the reins of managing such a special area over to an organisation which will ensure both wildlife and people are catered for.
"Dunnet is rich in wildlife and in history and we're happy to be able to work with an organisation whose ambitions for the site match our own."
Pete Mayhew, RSPB north Scotland senior conservation manager, said: "The seabird city at Dunnet Head is a few miles further north than John O'Groats and we're delighted to take over the management of the site.
"As well as the seabirds, we also hope to manage the land on top of the cliffs to provide habitat for corncrake, great yellow bumblebee and twite.
"There aren't really any facilities for visitors at the moment, but we're looking at how we might be able to provide these in the future, in which case we'd hope that Dunnet Head might become an important stop-off for visitors to the far north.
"It really is a lovely site for wildlife, and the geographical significance makes it even more special."
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