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. Only a few plants withstand such extremes as the stinging sand and drought; these include the spiky marram grass and the grey- green sea-lyme grass whose roots bind the sand to form dunes. Once the sand has stabilised other plants can grow here. The reserve is famed for its winter annuals which are found amongst rabbit warrens and near tracks The purple of spring vetch, and the pastel shades of blue and pink as forget-me-nots and wall speedwells flower are a burst of colour in the early spring.
Here wildlife is protected rom the stinging sand and salty conditions prevalent by the coast. To combat windy conditions much of the vegetation is low- growing and as the sandy soils do not retain moisture readily, plants must some-times withstand dry summers. In their flowering seasons from mid-June until September the wildflowers create a riot of colour. From the purples of the clustered bell- flowers to the delicate maiden pink these summer blooms fed numeous butterflies and moths. Look out for the red and black six spot burnet moth flitting over purple knap-weed heads and the common blue butterflies dancing in thelee of the whins. The wildlife of St Cyrus can cope with harsh and changing conditions. But it cannot cope with the changes people create. This magnificent array of plants and animals will be damaged if fire and trampling is unrestricted. Visitors are asked not to swing the balance of the battle against the wildlife here
Marram grass has a rolled leaf to conserve moisture in the harsh, drying winds of St Cyrus.
Whinchats migrate thousands of miles from Africa to breed in the in the flowering whins and scrub at St Cyrus. Watch for them perching on the tops of the bushes.
The fulmar’s defence mechanism is quite amazing . They arch their wings to make themselves appear larger and spit a foul-smelling oily liquid at their enemies. These actions usually deter predators!
Scurvy grass can withstand high tides, drying winds and a lack of fresh water. These plants are rich in Vitamin C and were taken on board by sailors to help prevent scurvy.
Oystercatchers wade into the shallows to hunt for shellfish and worms. Their long beaks are designed for probing the soft sand and mud
Whins provides shelter from the prevailing wind for foraging butterflies and birds. Smell its tropical coconut scent in the spring. Some of them are like sculptures, chewed into shape by the resident rabbits
Clustered bellflower is one of the flowers which s adapted to the calcium rich soils. This plant is near the most northerly point of its range in Britain and is seldom found elsewhere in Scotland.
Foxes visit the reserve afterdark when they are safe from people and dogs.They patrol the rabbit warrens in the whins sometimes leaving their pawprints in the sand nearby.