RSPB Reserve at Bempton Cliffs…
With lockdown restrictions easing I took the opportunity to visit the RSPB Reserve at Bempton Cliffs last Thursday along with two fellow photographers. A trip to Bempton would normally last at least two days with an overnight stay in a local pub but not this time. Setting off from Norfolk around 06:00am we drove on the top of the Wolds to the Humber Bridge and onward past Beverly and Bridlington before arriving in the area around 10:00am. With the car park already full due to good weather and restricted available spaces due to Covid-19 we parked at nearby Flamborough Head and walked the heritage coastal path to Bempton Cliffs. A long and arduous walk with camera bags and tripods but well worth the effort. After a day of photography and exploring the coast (including some long exposure shots at Thornwick Bay) we set off back to Norfolk around 07:00pm. A long but rewarding day…!
The hard chalk cliffs at Bempton are relatively resistant to erosion and offer lots of sheltered headlands and crevices for nesting birds. Bempton Cliffs run about 6 miles from Flamborough Head north towards Filey and are over 100 metres (330 ft) high at points. These cliffs are home to one of the UK's top wildlife spectacles. Around half a million seabirds gather here between March and October to raise a family on towering chalk cliffs which overlook the North Sea.
About 4,000 pairs of puffins return to Bempton to breed. Each pair lays a single egg in a crevice in the rock face. The best time to see the puffins at Bempton is between May and early July when they regularly visit their young with small fish. By August, the young puffins have left to spend the winter on the North Sea. The cliffs are also home to the largest mainland gannet colony (gannetry) in Britain. Over 1,630 pairs nest on the cliffs. Gannets can be seen here from January to November, but they are most active between April and August when they are breeding. They will travel up to 60 miles (100 kilometres) from the colony to find food. When fishing gannets can dive from heights of up to 40 metres (130 ft), entering the water at up to 95 kph (60 mph). When visiting you often able to see gannets diving for food not too far out to sea.
Six other species of seabirds nest at Bempton Cliffs. Kittiwakes are the most numerous, with 75,000 pairs packed onto the cliffs.
Gannets feeding at Bempton Cliffs