Creigiau Pen y Graig
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Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
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.
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Silurian
Landscape processes: Coastal
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| cormorant | Breeding |
Description
Description These relatively steep sea cliffs, composed of Silurian grits and shales support isolated remnants of wind-pruned coastal hanging oakwoods composed mainly of sessile oak Quercus petraea. A few maiden trees occur, but the majority exhibit a coppiced growth form. The trees achieve a maximum height of 8 metres, although some are prostrate and extremely worn by wind exposure. A shrub layer of hazel Corylus avellana, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and dog rose Rosa canina occurs, with a mixture of grasses and herbs including Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus, false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius, false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, bluebell Endymion non-scriptus, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, wood avens Geum urbanum and wood-sorrel Oxalis acetosella. This woodland is possibly a remnant of that which once clothed extensive areas of Ceredigion’s coastal plateau. A large cormorant colony is situated in this site, being the largest in Ceredigion and among the four largest in Wales. Grey seals are seen frequently along this stretch of coastline and are believed to breed in one or two gullies along its length. Remarks: 12 ha of the site are managed as the Penderi nature reserve by the West Wales Naturalists’ Trust.
Species mentioned
Show the 13 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | NT (Breeding) | bird-frigate | fregatidae |
| false oat grass | Arrhenatherum elatius | LC | grass | poaceae |
| wood false brome | Brachypodium sylvaticum | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| moschatel | Adoxa moschatellina | LC | herb | adoxaceae |
| herb bennet | Geum urbanum | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| dog's mercury | Mercurialis perennis | LC | herb | euphorbiaceae |
| wood sorrel | Oxalis acetosella | LC | herb | oxalidaceae |
| dog-rose | Rosa canina | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| hawthorn | Crataegus monogyna | LC | shrub | rosaceae |
| blackthorn | Prunus spinosa | LC | shrub | rosaceae |
| hazel | Corylus avellana | LC | tree | corylaceae |
| sessile or durmast oak | Quercus petraea | LC | tree | fagaceae |