Hello all and welcome to a special edition of Bempton Recent Sightings! This past weekend I had the privilege of joining one of our unique Sea Bird Cruises sailing on the Yorkshire Belle out of Bridlington harbour, and wow, what a trip!
But first, a quick note of apology for the weekend's regular recent sightings post -- it was meant to go up Saturday evening but there was a problem with the picture upload and the post only made it online this morning! Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Now on to the cruise! RSPB Bempton Cliffs runs sea bird cruise trips for two distinct seasons: puffin and gannet season, going on now, and skua and shearwater cruises in September. Cruises are about 3 hours long and go around Flamborough Head, past North Landing, and up along the length of the Bempton Cliffs reserve before making the return trip. All trips are timed to coincide with high tide, meaning that providing sea conditions are favourable, the cruise can pass remarkably close to the cliff faces themselves! If you've ever visited the main reserve and enjoyed the views of the birds from above, let me tell you -- it's nothing compared to seeing them from right down on the sea!
For me, joining this cruise was a special treat as I must confess, I'd actually never been on the sea! My hometown in Canada is around two days' drive from the sea and working hard at uni I'd had limited chances to visit the English coastline, so my nautical experiences had thus far been limited to lakes and rivers!
The cruise begins, as mentioned, at Bridlington's north pier, and offers some amazing and colourful views of the town as it sets out for Flamborough Head.
View of Bridlington harbour from aboard the MV Yorkshire Belle. Photo by Jaime.
Once out of the shelter of the harbour and around the Head, the sea tends to be a little bit rougher and the wind a bit stronger, so it's a good plan to have some layers along if you plan to sit on the outside decks (though there are sheltered seats with windows available as well if you prefer). In terms of the Flamborough-Bempton seabird colony, the first really grand view is at Braille Nook near Flamborough's North Landing. Here you begin to see and hear all our regulars in huge numbers: kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, gannets, and of course, puffins! The stack in the middle of the Nook has an interesting feature -- a herring gull has nested in a tyre atop the stack. From here you can also make out some of the caves along the bottoms of the cliffs in which some of our local shags nest, and if you're really lucky, you might get to see some chicks! Since the shags are restricted to these lower-altitude caves, this is your best chance to see them as anything more than a black shape skimming near the surface of the water, which is all you're likely to ever see of them from the clifftops! Sadly the swell and backwash on my trip were such that the ship couldn't get as far into the Nook as normal and none of my photos of their nests worked out, but be assured they're there!
View of Braille Nook from the sea. Photo by Jaime.
Continuing north, the ship passes Thornwick Bay and quickly comes upon the south end of the main reserve, where aside from an up-close view of our main gannetry, you can also get an excellent view of the impressive formations in the chalk cliffs. These were laid down approximately 70-90 million years ago, with layers of chalk and bands of calcareous clay. It looks almost like an artistic carving, but this was done purely by natural forces over millions of years, when the cliffs, despite their impressive heights, were actually at the bottom of a shallow sea!
The cliffs below Staple Newk viewpoint as seen from the sea. Photo by Jaime.
But of course the real advantage and treat of the cruise is being so close to the seabirds as they swim and fly all around you. I could sing their praises all day but I think instead I'll just share a few snapshots I took and let these incredible creatures speak for themselves!
Puffin with a small meal.
Puffin taking off from the waves!
Guillemots taking flight from the sea!
Juvenile great black-backed gull having a swim.
Fulmar! Just look at that tube-nose!
Fulmar in flight low over the waves... look how stiffly horizontal it holds its wings!
(All photos above by Jaime.)
Just... wow! Throughout the trip, commentary is provided by a group of experienced guides and volunteers, so even those new to the cliffs or the birds won't be left feeling lost, and there's always something new to learn! In all, I'd say that for any nature enthusiast, this is definitely an experience you don't want to miss! There are only two Puffin & Gannet cruises remaining for this season, on Sunday 6 July (9:30am) and Saturday 12 July (4:30pm). Skua & shearwater cruises begin 6 September. If you're interested in getting more information or to book a place, please e-mail the Bempton cruise team on bempton.cruises@rspb.org.uk or call 01262 422211.
I'll be back later this week with another regular "Recent Sightings" update, and maybe... a mystery? There's never a dull moment at Bempton Cliffs!