On the 11th of this month, I took a journey up to Bempton Cliffs. After hearing about the Puffins that you can see there, I wanted to see some for myself. Also I have never seen Gannets and Fulmars before, so hopefully this would be my lucky day.
First things first; check the RSPB website and book myself onto a Puffin Patrol. Hopefully this way I am guaranteed to see at least one. Then to buy my train ticket for the long journey; woo it's a distance of 140 miles there and back, and all in one day! Early start at 4am for me, then. Never mind the wildlife is always worth it, it starts on the train from Rotherham Central to Hull, a Roe Deer bounding away from the tracks into a nearby field. Many Shelduck sitting in a field as I fly by on the train. Change at Hull; what a dreary station! Never mind, now it's onto the Scarborough train en route to Bempton, and all before 9am! I get there for just a few minutes after nine, then I have a decent walk up through the village and up Cliff Lane towards the reserve. Quite a nice walk, and the sun is shining. Skylark in the air above me and Yellowhammer and Goldfinch singing in the hedgerows. I get to the reserve about a quarter to ten, and there's time to sit at the bird feeding station before the visitor centre opens at ten.
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| Bird Feeding Station |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Tree Sparrow - lots of these about, nice to see! |
This was a really pleasant area; when you got tired of cliff faces and eau de Gannet, it's nice that you can retreat and see some more familiar birds. It's also a nice place to eat your sandwiches. Birds seen here include Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Tree Sparrow, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting (have I missed any?). Anyway, the visitor centre's ready for opening, so I'll go grab myself a leaflet and see where the best places are to go.
Fist viewpoint is the Grandstand, and wow what a view! Not even looking at the photos on the website prepares you for the sheer cliff faces covered with birds from top to bottom. Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Gannets and the occasional Puffin. I also saw a pair of Fulmar, which made my day. Didn't manage to get a photo of them unfortunately. Here are a few of the photos I did manage to get:
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| View of the cliffs |
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| View from the path, Pink Campion in the foreground |
And some of the birds:
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| Razorbills |
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| Gannets |
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| Puffin! |
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| Razorbill |
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| Kittiwake |
The first things that hit you when you get to the cliff top are the noise, the smells and the sight of hundreds if not thousands of birds wheeling below and swimming on the waves. I'd say the Kittiwakes are the noisiest of them all with their almost constant cry of kitti-week kitti-week. The neighbours don't seem to mind about the noise though:
It's such an amazing experience, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Here are a few more pictures from the day:
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| I cropped this one hence the blurriness, however I think it's quite a sweet picture |
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| Some of the Gannets on thier nests |
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| Closer view of the Gannet |
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| Kittiwake eyeing me up |
The Puffin Patrol was great too; the staff were really friendly and more than willing to share their knowledge about the cliffs and the seabirds. Got my first chance to look through a telescope too, may have to invest in one in the future, for now though my binoculars are more than adequate.
A last walk through the field up to the Visitor Centre before my train home is due, and I spied a Reed Bunting.
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| It IS a Reed Bunting, take my word for it! lol |
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