Nature Book
Coastal Habitats
Hard Cliff & Slope are similar to rocky shore were only the toughest plants can grow. They are found in stimulating yet frightening locations where the cliffs can turn in to a sheer face. The cliffs here are constantly being eroded by the sea waves, and wind. On sheer rock it can be coloured with lichens and in the odd crevices there can be dotted with Thrift and Rock Samphire. Hard Cliffs are also important to breeding birds such as Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, Gannets and Manx Shearwaters.
Hard Cliff
Soft Cliff is characterised by unstable, soft substrate that readily slumps by the erosion of the cliff base. This is by the sea, rain and ground water and is rarely sheer like hard cliff. The crumbly ground can make access difficult and dangerous and heavy rain can cause sections of the cliff to collapse. In tall soft cliff it is often stepped where sections of cliff have slipped away, creating flat areas that hold a mix of scrub, grassland, pools and bare areas. This mosaic of habitat is particularly rich in invertebrates.
Soft Cliff
Rocky Shore is divided into exposed and sheltered areas. Sheltered rocky shore has a large number of species compared to exposed rocky shore. Rocky Shore is also split into zones which refer to it's location from the sea. At the top end of the shore is the splash zone, then Upper Shore, Middle Shore than closer to the sea is Lower Shore. Different groups species live in each depending on their tolerance to the sea salt, drying out factor and light.
Rocky Shore
Sand Dune is a habitat wherever sandy beaches are found and wide enough for the sand to dry out and blow inland. This can leed to a thin strip of parallel dunes at the top of a beach or a maze of sandhills and hollows that extends inland. Sand Dunes are wild places where the wind is constantly reshaping the surface of the dunes, shifting tonnes of sand overnight. On windy days it can be a harsh challenging place but in more shelted places it can be a flower-rich grassland with specialised animals such as the Natterjack Toad which croak from dune slackpools and the Sand Lizard which are found amongst the Marram grass.
Sand Dune
Salt Marsh supports communities of salt-tolerant plants that live in very sheltered conditions in upper reaches of estuaries and large bays. The plants grow in distinct zones according how well they can cope with the salt water. As mud is raised up different species are able to become established. This mud forms mini island with small creeks running round them. Creeks in the salt marsh are rich feeding grounds for wading birds and gulls. Also many invertebrates live in the mud and Shore Crabs are common scavengers. Winter is good for geese and Autumn to spring for waders, July and August is good to see Common Sea-lavender in flower.