The reserve has gone all fluffy all of sudden and chicks are springing up all over the cliffs.    This update from Tom, of our seabird monitoring team, explains why he in particular thinks the reserve is a truly awww-some place right now.   

With a title as scholarly as ‘seabird researcher’, I feel I should bring a certain amount of scientific objectivity to my work; but as detached as I try to be, I could not prevent a heartfelt…

Good news for all walkers heading to the cliff tops.  All one and half miles of the new trod has now been laid out and is ready for use.

So what's a trod?   Well, there's a Monk's Trod in Wales that was a route used by Cistercian monks, while in the West Country a trod is a fairy pathway that may have the power to cure problems like rheumatism.

In our case, the trod is an informal footpath running alongside Cliff…

It's all go up on the cliffs for both the birds and the seabird monitoring team. Mike, one of our dedicated volunteers, has decided to give us some background to their work in his latest update.

Now that the monitoring season is in full swing I thought I’d try to explain how the seabird monitoring programme at Bempton Cliffs works. The scientific work done behind the scenes is a key part of what happens at Bempton…

Protecting your home and family is a natural instinct.  And that's what we believe these female backbirds were doing just down the road in the centre of Bridlington.

It's a reminder that there are still lots of nesting birds out there (and they may be around longer due to the late Spring) that have made homes in our gardens so please don't trim hedeges and trees just yet.

  First there was one.

 There there…

Planting over 3000 wildflower plugs is no mean feat.   But in order to create a wildflower meadow on the reserve, that's the task faced by Assistant Warden David Aitken over the next couple of weeks.

So we decided to ask our local primary school if they'd like to lend a helping hand.  Fortunately they said , yes.  So on a sunny morning in early June, a 'walking bus' of 30 pupils from Class 4 set off down the lane…

Well it’s been a hectic few months, apologies for the lack of updates. However, here is the state of play at Bempton Cliffs from our residential seabird research volunteers.

“After a slow start, the breeding season at Bempton is finally in full swing, as is our monitoring effort. Most species are two or three weeks late breeding (some of this year’s early Gannet chicks were nearly a month later than last year’s…

There was excitement a-plenty aboard the Yorkshire Belle last Sunday as the Family Cruise proved more action-packed than a TV show full of car chases.

The crew from Flamborough RNLI station were out on their regular Sunday morning training session and asked Skipper Peter to come alongside as part of the exercise.  After a brief word with volunteer Geoff Edmondson, permission was granted and then one of the crew boarded the boat…

We like a happy ending.  And this is definitely one of the happiest we had last month.

Chris, one of the RSPB's membership development officers, discovered a razorbill in a bit of a sorry state on the reserve.    After much discussion, it was thought that the problem might be a broken wing. 

So it was off to Priory Vets in nearby Bridlington with the razorbill firmly strapped into the passenger seat of Chris's car  (safe…

Busy, busy, busy. There's a frenzy of activity up on the clifs as the breeding season really gets into its stride.  The seabird monitoring team are out at all hours trying to keep up with the action.   More from Mike and the crew on the cliffs:

Apologies for the delay since the last update – but things are getting busy for the seabird monitoring team. All of our birds are now on eggs, the first chicks are appearing and there…

An art gallery isn't the first place you'd think of putting a bird table.  But that's exactly what's happened at Gallery 49 in Bridlington's Old Town.

An RSPB Gothic bird table is acting as the centrepiece in the gallery's latest exhibition, 'Gardens and Flowers', which features a number of wire birds from artist, Chris Moss. 

Using both new and recycled materials, Chris has created a…

The sea sparkled silver.  The sky blazed blue.  It was the perfect day for the RSPB Family cruise from Bridlington harbour aboard the Yorkshire Belle.  There were Mums, Dads, Grans, Grandads, friends, family and a dog called Harry.  Everyone was mega-excited at the prospect of seeing the seabirds up close and personal...especially the puffins.  So here's how the voyage got underway - from a land-lubber's point of view…

There's been hundreds of cappuffinccinos served up around Bridlington this bank holiday.

Visitors and locals alike have been sipping them at the Spa; relaxing with them at Richie's and lingering over them at the Lobster Pot.

So here are just a few of those who've been making these special coffees to say 'Welcome Back' to the Bempton Cliffs puffins. 

Thanks one and all.

  Sarah at Macey's

  Julie…

Not everyone's a fan of creepy crawlies.  But the latest visitor to our offices won a few hearts.

Site Manager, Keith Clarkson, discovered a large caterpillar on one of the reserve's paths and immediately reverted to his 10 year old self and popped it in a matchbox.

Whizzing back to the office, he confirmed his suspicion that it was a drinker - so named because it is apparently partial to drinking drops of dew…

Over the Bank Holiday, half-term week and possibly beyond, you can sit back and relax with a cappuffunccino in Bridlington at the cafes, pubs and bars listed below:

Bull and Sun, Baylegate, Old Town, Bridlington

Coffee Coast, South Cliff Road, Bridlington 

Dolphin Café, Prince Street, Bridlington

Dolphin Restaurant, Prince Street, Bridlington

Expanse Hotel, North Marine Drive, Bridlington

Georgian Rooms, High…

It’s been a crazy few weeks on the marketing front at the reserve.   And it all started with a chance discovery  - a stencil made by Richard Burton for his tearoom/gallery that he used to create a chocolate puffin silhouette on cappuccinos.

It proved to be an important moment -  the birth of the 'cappuffinccino'.   

Then came the idea to use cappuffinccinos to celebrate the return of the bird to Bempton Cliffs after…

To quote Wet Wet Wet, love is all around.  The birds are getting smoochy and the seabird monitoring team have their work cut out keeping up with things as nature takes its course.  Mike continues his tale from the cliff-edge:

Breeding season continues to gather pace here at Bempton Cliffs. Most of the gannets on our monitoring plots are on eggs, and there are more lovely turquoise guillemot eggs and brown/white razorbill…

The ‘Welcome’ sign above the visitor centre has been taken literally by a couple of swallows as volunteer, Allan Dawson, explained:

‘Every year the same pair of swallows return to this spot and make their home right above our front door. Last year they had one brood of four chicks which strained our necks to see.

This year, we thought we’d keep a closer eye on them by setting up a camera link and transmitting…

One of the highlights of the reserve's year is its Seabird Cruises from Bridlington harbour aboard the iconic Yorkshire Belle.  Keith Barrow, one of the RSPB local group volunteers who assist the crew and provide a commentary on the trips, gives us an insight into what it's like to make the journey across the bay and round the headland:

As we crossed Bridlington Bay on a lovely sunny morning, taking in the spectacle…

It's been a nervous time for the seabird monitoring team, scouring the cliff tops and wondering how the terrible early spring weather had affected the colony.  But the news from the boys on the edge is all good.  Here's the latest from Mike:

We have eggs! Just when some people were starting to wonder if there was going to be a breeding season this year, the team have started spotting seabird eggs on the cliffs  at…

Being beside the seaside, there are lots of holiday parks close by.  One of the nearest is Primrose Valley, on the way to Filey. 

With the help of Owner Events Co-ordinator, Verity Hull, we’ve organised a series of things to do especially for those with holiday homes in this lovely spot.

We kicked off over the Bank Holiday with 20 or so owners and their children being given an exclusive tour of the seabird spectacle…

The reserve is home to far more than our famous seabirds.

Early riser Graham Breeze hit the jackpot the other morning when he spotted some of our other residents out and about.

While everyone else was snoozing in their beds, he was enthralled by an encounter with two weasels enjoying the sunshine and each other's company.

Fortunately he captured this special moment in a series of photos that show the sheer joy of being…

Our new seabird monitoring volunteers, Mike and Tom, are settling in nicely both on Cliff Lane and on the cliff tops.

Throughout their time with us, they've promised to keep us regularly posted about which seabirds are doing what where.

So here's the first of their updates from Mike:

'It’s been a funny spring on the East Coast. Poor weather at the end of March/early April led to a  much talked about…

We love sharing the escapades of our cliff-roaming puffins with everyone.  But sometimes, this iconic little bird is a bit tricky to find.  So we've been running regular Puffin Patrols to give visitors the best possible chance of spotting one (or even a six).

On Saturday morning a very excited group left the visitor centre with site manager, Keith Clarkson, leading the way and volunteer John Witty assisting.   The puttins…

The cries of the seabirds at RSPB Bempton Cliffs were almost drowned out by the squeals from back ache last week as work extending hedging on the reserve got underway.    

The hedgerow running alongside the main path from the visitor centre down to the cliffs has been boosted by the addition of 55 metres of new shrubs  – approximately the length of an Olympic swimming pool.

275 individual plants – Hawthorn, Buckthorn…

We're always happy to hear what our local Wildlife Explorers group has been up to.  Leader Margaret Boyd told us about their latest outing:

RSPB East Yorkshire Junior Wildlife Explorers had their first visit to the Living Seas Centre at South Landing Flamborough last weekend. The weather was glorious for the group this time, after the March meeting had to be postponed due to strong winds. The group met at the Living…