"Ol' Blue Eyes!" Gannet
Todays call to the cliffs was loud and clear especially with the promise of wall to wall blue skies and sunshine! It also promised to be a very busy day on the reserve and it was great to meet and chat with many fantastic and enthusiastic visitors. Most visitors, however, desperately wanted to see Puffins, but the Puffins had other ideas and challenged us to find them! Some lucky people had excellent (but brief)views, while others were only able to have brief flight views or distant sea views. Nature is so unpredictable! All of the "Bempton 8" breeding birds could be seen, (Gannet; Fulmar; Guillemot; Herring Gull; Razorbill; Kittiwake; Shag and Puffin), although the visible Auk numbers on the cliffs were reduced. Of additional interest were several Swallows, Corn Buntings, a female Eider and Peregrine.
My walk today concentrated on the viewpoints of Grandstand and Bartlett Nab. Puffins (playing hard to get!)
Some Puffins showed a little better, but only briefly!
The Lookout!
Glorious Gannets!
A "gift" for my beloved!
Fight! Fight! Fight! Many of the Gannets squabble amongst themselves, especially over territory violations, with some of these escalating from the cliffs down to the sea!
"Sky pointing" by Gannets usually means take off from the cliffs is imminent!
Gannet Close-ups!
The good thing about RSPB Bempton Cliffs is its accessibility to all and visitors can walk as far or as little as they choose. All of the six viewpoints are getting very active and Gannet eggs are being observed on Staple Newk rock! The visitor centre is opening at 0830 until 1700 during the breeding season. We hope to see you soon - what will you discover?