Morning Sunrise at the beach on St Cyrus National Nature Reserve Montrose GPAN 0103.
Every year at St Cyrus National Nature Reserve battles rage. Winter storms crash over the dunes, salty sea-spray soaks into every crevice and the North Sea winds scatter debris and sand everywhere. Yet in this harsh world a wealth of specialist plants and animals have adapted to conditions not unlike those of a desert. On the beach the evidence of conflict is all too obvious; the broken driftwood lies battered and tossed by the waves, the sand vars rise and fall and the skeletons of ancient ships skulk in the shallows of the bay. The purple flowering sea rocket is one of the first plants to secure a place at the strandline. Washed by high tides, dried by the wind and stung by sand this plant has amazing staying power. These high pillars of lava tower behind the reserve, an ancient reminder of the original sea level before the end of the last ice age. The lowered sea level reflects the rising of the land after the release of the weight of ice,pressing down on it for thousands of years. Amongst these crumbling volcanic relics plants fight to retain their anchorage on exposed ledges. Here those plants which cope with thin soil and intermittent water supplies survive like the white Nottingham catchfly and white stonecrops are easily recognised by their fleshy leaves which store water like desert cacti. In the frontline of this natural battle, the sea cliffs soak up this natural battle, the sea cliffs soak up salt spray whipped from the tops of the winter waves. Yet even here there are plants and birds perfectly adapted to these coditions. The sea pink or thrift forms low cushions of vegetation in crevices together with white cascading sea campion. Fulmars seek out sheltered ledges towards the top of the cliffs as nest sites in November and will rear a single chick the following spring. These are very prominent at St Cyrus and the plant communitites vary as you move away from the sea. GPAN 0103
Size: 7418px × 2826px
Location: St Cyrus Kincardine Montrose Scotland UK
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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