Hello, this is Bill McCarthy and I am the new Residential Volunteer at Bempton Cliffs. I will be here until the 27th August. I am a Primary Teacher in The Netherlands and I am volunteering in my Summer holidays. Swapping kids for birds!
First of all I would like to say thanks to Jamie for her previous blogs and I hope that I can live up to her standard of ‘blogging’. She has Just posted a great new blog with great pictures!
I first came to Bempton about 3 years ago (Spring/Early Summer) and was bowled over by the sights, sounds and smells associated with the cliffs. The views are amazing as are the thousands upon thousands of wonderful birds. So, I came back and applied for the Residential Volunteer position.
Starting on the 23rd of July, my first week has been very busy, with lots of things happening. I am, luckily still pointing out puffins on the rocks and in the water. There are still a few left, but numbers are down a lot, even from last Friday (25th). Lots of people ask about, and photograph, them so it is lovely to be able to still see them. However the gannets still have lots of young on nests and it is fantastic to see the different stages of development (although not many very small ones left to see). Also the beautiful kittiwakes still have to fledge in some cases, but you can see most of them trying out their flying muscles, with their beautiful stripe-edged wings. The earlier leavers are really proficient flyers already. You might still see the odd razorbill and guillemot on the cliffs too.
Other things spotted in the last few days -
common scoters , arctic skua, whimbrel, peregrine, redshank, shag and sparrow hawk
Also seen, near ‘Grandstand’ were some weasels that were busy playing and ignoring the watching public. There were some fighting stoats also seen at the end of last week, between ‘Bartlett’ and ‘Grandstand’. How can you tell the difference?
Stoat photo – thanks to Ian Percival
28/29 July In the amphibian fencing traps – water shrews have been found !
Finally, for now. We are currently taking part in the 13th National Whale and Dolphin Watch, organised by the ‘Seawatch’ organisation. This is an event, which is running all around the UK. We have been on the cliffs at Bempton (Bartlett Nab viewpoint), since the 27th August and we will be there until Sunday 3rd August. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen anything so far (except for a sighting of Harbour Porpoise off Staple Newk, by Steve Race from a boat - 31 July).
Bill