As part of our commitment to developing the next generation of conservationists, a number of enthusiastic young people join us on the reserve each year to see how we do things. They learn a lot and they teach us quite a bit too. And we love having them around and getting their views on life on the edge. Helen is with us for the summer and this is Hello from her:
Hi everyone
First things first, let me introduce myself – my name is Helen and I am the new visitor experience intern here at Bempton Cliffs. I have only been here a week, but have had an amazing time so far and everyone is really friendly and helpful. I am learning so many things from going out on walks with other volunteers and staff members that I have had to make many notes so that I don’t forget anything!
So far I have spent a couple of days out on Bartlett and Grandstand to spot Puffins and have been lucky enough to see quite a few. Setting up the telescope and seeing our visitors’ reactions when they see them, sometimes for the first time, has been great. We have had many visitors from both the UK and all over the world, but they all have the same reaction when they see our little clown of the sea!
I was also involved with the BioBlitz last Sunday and helped to record the species that we saw during the day. We had many surveys happening over the course of the day and there was lots to see including bird ringing and small mammal trapping. Hopefully have a final tally soon of everything we counted on the cliffs. We also set up the moth trap but, due to the cold wet weather overnight, it wasn’t as successful as we had hoped and only recorded 2 Hebrew Character moths (although they were lovely!). I hope to set up the trap again in a few weeks time and we should get a better result – watch this space.
Bird ringing tent at BioBlitz
In the short time I have been here, I have seen a Gannet and Puffin released back to the wild (please also see the Gone Gannet blog) that had been cared for by Whitby Wildlife Rescue. On Friday we also released a Razorbill who that been found on Cliff Lane. After having a health check to make sure it was ok, it was released back onto the cliffs. Good luck to them all!
Razorbill ready for release
I’m really excited about being at Bempton Cliffs for the next 6 months, so please say hi if you see me around the reserve, I will be the one who chuckles and smiles every time I see a Puffin, sometimes I do forget that other people are around