For breathtaking scenery and a sense of untamed nature, coastal cliffs offer unrivalled opportunities for the visiting naturalist. Man has had minimal impact on these areas, and during the spring and summer months a few select locations where the substrate is suitable are crowded with breeding seabirds and carpeted with colourful flowers.
SEABIRD COLONIES
Great Britain has some of the finest seabird cliffs in Europe, with populations of birds such as Razorbill and Gannet that are of global importance. The best time to visit a colony is between April and July, when the sight, sound and smell of the birds will be at its height. Because each species has unique nesting requirements, not every seabird will be found on every cliff. Where stable ledges occur, Guillemots and Kittiwakes can be abundant, while Puffins favour grassy slopes in which they can excavate burrows. Some seabirds are solitary nesters but many, such as Cormorants and gulls, form loose colonies, their concentration due as much to the limited availability of nesting sites as to anything else. A fundamental requirement for any seabird colony is the close proximity of good feeding grounds.
Many seabird populations are under threat. Locations, such as Fair Isle, once harboured thriving populations but now have dwindling numbers of many species. Exploitation of fish stocks, and plundering of the sea generally, are at the heart of the problem.
Located in the Firth of Forth, Bass Rock supports the largest Gannet colony in the world, with more than 80,000 nest sites.
CLIFFTOP FLOWERS
Without doubt, the displays of flowering Thrift that carpet long stretches of cliffs in western Britain are the most glorious botanical highlights our coasts have to offer. By any standards, these are world-class floral spectacles. Pretty in pink, Thrift is the undeniable star of the show, although a supporting cast of Sea Carrot, Sea Campion and various species of sea-spurrey adds botanical diversity and a colourful counterpoint to the scene.
UNDERCLIFFS
The appearance of maritime cliffs is influenced by factors such as the rock type and the degree of exposure to which a particular stretch of coast is subjected. Broadly speaking, however, they can be categorised as either hard or soft cliffs. Hard cliffs, where the rocks resist erosion, tend to be steep or sheer. By contrast, soft cliffs are gently sloping, easily eroded, and prone to slumping and landslips. This interesting landscape supports a richer diversity of species than hard cliffs, and is home to a number of extremely habitat-specific plants and invertebrates.
In Britain, the Fiery Clearwing moth Pyropteron chrysidiformis is entirely restricted to stretches of grassy undercliff on the south coast of Kent.
