… subdued lion or an excitable lamb? I can’t decide but mad March hares and tweet treats are plentiful at Bempton Cliffs right now. Our resident tree sparrows have been making a lovely racket whilst checking out the eaves of the Visitor Centre for potential nest sites and several hares have been seen boxing in the fields.
It’s coming up to Bempton’s busiest time of year - the breeding season – and it’s obvious from all the cliff top and cliff side activity that the birds are gearing up for a productive year. Last year we had breeding successes across the board, with all our nesting seabirds (except herring gulls) showing improved productivity. Our tree sparrows also did well, with 13 pairs nesting in and around the Visitor Centre.
We’ve had sightings of a peregrine at Jubilee (the viewpoint closest to Filey) this weekend as well as a great northern diver off Grandstand (the central view point) and an increasing number of kittiwakes along the length of the reserve. Oystercatchers have been heard, in the words of our site manager, 'cleeting' below Bartlett Nab and our resident gannet expert tells us that almost all of last years birds are back at their nest sites now.
If you see anything interesting at Bempton or around the local area, please let us know by posting a comment on the community pages, writing on our Facebook wall http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/RSPB-Bempton-Cliffs/135949786426965 or dropping us a tweet on Twitter http://twitter.com/Bempton_Cliffs?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=Bempton_Cliffs&utm_content=41866189185617920&ref=nf . We’re always interested to know what’s about.
Image: Tree sparrow by Steve Race
Rachael Tulloch (Warden Intern, RSPB Fairburn Ings)