Weybourne Cliffs

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.9473, 1.1745

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TG133435 Favourable 40.88 2011-07-21

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Quaternary

Landscape processes: Coastal

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

SpeciesSeason
fulmar Unknown
sand martin Unknown

Description

Description Cliffs east of Weybourne afford the best Pleistocene sections showing the pre Cromerian deposits of the Cromer Forest bed. The Pastonian ‘Weybourne Crag’, here at its type locality, with its marine molluscs has been known since the early days of geology. An historic site with outstanding Pleistocene sections of national importance. The marine “crags” here have yielded both large and small mammal remains, of Pastonian and probably also pre Pastonian age. Little has been published on these important fossils and the site remains one with considerable potential for future vertebrate finds. Additional biological interest is provided by colonies of sand martin in the cliff face and of fulmar 73 pairs in 1982 on the cliff ledges.

Species mentioned

English name
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Latin name
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IUCN / Red List Type Family
fulmar Fulmarus glacialis CR (Breeding) bird-fulmar procellariidae
sand martin Riparia riparia LC (Breeding) bird-martin hirundinidae