Hayburn Wyke

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 54.3572, -0.4432

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Declining (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TA012968 Unfavourable Declining 21.21 2020-09-02

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: Jurassic · Rock Type: Glacial Till, Shale

Landscape processes: Coastal, Fluvial, Glacial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

SpeciesSeason
blackcap Breeding
chiffchaff Breeding
pied flycatcher Breeding
redstart Breeding
willow warbler Breeding

Description

Area, 21.0 hectares 51.9 ac Description The Middle Jurassic cliffs at Hayburn Wyke are overlain by a thick deposit of boulder clay. The Hayburn Beck, which falls onto the beach in a waterfall, has carved a channel through the rocks to expose the Hayburn Wyke plant bed. The plant bed forms part of the Cloughton Formation of the Middle Jurassic and contains a rich fossil fauna, comprising sixty species, dominated by cycads. Of particular interest is Hepaticites haiburnensis, a marchantiaceous liverwort, known only from this locality. The geological interest of this site has not yet been fully evaluated, but it is without question an outstanding fossil plant locality. Deciduous woodland covers the slopes above the cliff shelf and extends some way up Hayburn Wyke Beck, merging into a mixed broad leaved and conifer woodland. The canopy is dominated by oak both Quercus petraea and Quercus robur with ash Fraxinus excelsior, sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus, birch Betula pubescens and elm Ulmus glabra. There are several standards of large leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos. The understorey of shrubs includes hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium and goat willow Salix caprea and there is a rich ground flora with sanicle Sanicula europaea, opposite leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, wood millet Milium effusum, male fern Dryopteris filix-mas, lady fern Athyrium filix-femina and hart’s tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium. The damp conditions favour mosses and liverworts. To the north of Hayburn Wyke and to the south of Little Cliff, the wood gives way to willow scrub S. caprea, Salix cinerea with a ground flora of great horsetail Equisetum telmateia and hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum. Herbs of note at this site include the introduced elecampane Inula helenium and grass of Parnassus Parnassia palustris. In places the unstable clay and shale is bare of vegetation or is colonised by species such as colt’s foot Tussilago farfara. Birds known to breed include chiffchaff, willow warbler, pied flycatcher, redstart and blackcap.

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites
Latin name
search with Google
IUCN / Red List Type Family
pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca VU (Breeding) bird-robin muscicapidae
redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus LC (Breeding) bird-robin muscicapidae
chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita LC (Breeding) bird-warbler phylloscopidae
willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus LC (Breeding) bird-warbler phylloscopidae
blackcap Sylvia atricapilla LC (Breeding) bird-warbler sylviidae
hart's-tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium LC fern aspleniaceae
lady-fern Athyrium filix-femina LC fern woodsiaceae
male fern Dryopteris filix-mas LC fern dryopteridaceae
wood millet Milium effusum LC grass poaceae
opposite-leaved golden- saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium LC herb saxifragaceae
great horsetail Equisetum telmateia LC herb equisetaceae
hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum LC herb asteraceae
grass of Parnassus Parnassia palustris VU herb celastraceae
sanicle Sanicula europaea LC herb apiaceae
colts-foot Tussilago farfara LC herb asteraceae
sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus Not listed in GB list tree aceraceae
downy birch Betula pubescens LC tree betulaceae
hazel Corylus avellana LC tree corylaceae
ash Fraxinus excelsior LC tree oleaceae
holly Ilex aquifolium LC tree aquifoliaceae
sessile or durmast oak Quercus petraea LC tree fagaceae
common oak Quercus robur LC tree fagaceae
large leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos LC tree malvaceae
wych elm Ulmus glabra LC tree ulmaceae
goat willow Salix caprea LC tree shrub salicaceae
grey willow Salix cinerea LC tree shrub salicaceae

Plant communities

W20 — Montane scrub

Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub

Salix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis

W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub

Hedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas

W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Hedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas