Bempton Cliffs – Step Up for Seabirds!

Earlier this year I steadied my sea legs and began a brand new role as an RSPB Marine Conservation Officer for the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber. My job is to protect and conserve our sealife and the marine environment. 

One way we can help our sealife is by creating a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas. More than 200,000 seabirds come to Bempton Cliffs during…

There were redwings aplenty on the reserve this morning, as well as visiting blackbirds. A song thrush in the Dell, three bramblings - and a guest appearance from a weasel - in the feeding station. 

Add to that lot goldcrests, a female blackcap in and around the carpark,  huge flocks of finches foraging all around the reserve... and you'll see it's been a pretty good day.

The new benches near New Roll-Up viewpoint…

You could probably forgive us for being a bit media luvvy the next time you come up to the reserve.

With all theTV film crews we’ve welcomed in 2011, we’ve definitely learned not to be camera-shy. And tomorrow Bempton Cliffs will be on the small screen yet again.

This year, the reserve has been seen on top TV shows such as BBC’s Countryfile, which featured several places in East Yorkshire in April. Presenter…

A staggering £1.8m is pumped into the East Yorkshire economy every year by tourists visiting Bempton Cliffs, says a new RSPB report.

Foundations for a Green Economy: Conservation and local employment across the UK, shows that spending by our visitors supports 40 local jobs. Another 11 jobs are either based on the reserve or are supported through the reserve, its staff and volunteers supporting local businesses and…

We're all really excited ... we've just learned that a stonking 1,400 people came with us on this year's puffin patrols, or joined us for Tea with the Gannets. Just think of that, 1,400 people who we enthused about the amazing seabirds at Bempton Cliffs.

Can't wait for next year, but we'll have to go some to reach even more people.

If you went on either of these series of events and can think of a…

Amongst the hundreds of Goldfinches present around the reserve at the moment best sighting of the day was an albino bird found by Johnny and Rachael.  Shows that almost every day new birds are moving through, as this individual would certainly have been noticed previously!

A couple of Wheatears and a single Whinchat were still present around the fence-lines near to the RAF station and calm conditions at the end of the day…

No posts for a while but happy to report that autumn is finally in full swing here. Over the last few days there have been small numbers of Whinchats, Wheatears, Yellow Wagtails and Chiffchaffs and a Swift today was a pleasant surprise. Waders are also regular right now, a bit unusual given that we have no 'wader water'. A Greenshank has been the best of these, but Curlew and Golden Plover are frequently seen.…

It's all happening on the footpaths around the reserve.

We're so used to watching the cliffs for our fab wildlife - but in recent days, the footpaths have been swarming with all manner of things ... yellow wagtails, wheatears, stonechats and whinchats, frogs and toads, ladybirds and millipedes being regularly seen. There was a porpoise off the cliffs and a fox in the car park.

But, the highlight has to be the…

Mark Herman, who wrote and directed the films Brassed Off and Little Voice, was the subject of the My Yorkshire... feature in last Saturday's Yorkshire Post magazine.

When asked for his favourite walk or view, he said: "My favourite view is often from my seat at Hull City's KC stadium, although it can also just as often be my least favourite.

"Other than that, and more consistently pleasing," said the man…

Well at least the sight of 300 Goldfinches is. Scattered in flocks around the reserve and surrounding farmland they look stunning and are keeping good company with plenty of Linnets, Tree Sparrows, Chaffinches and Greenfinches. Not just the human visitors to the reserve that has been attracted by their presence though, but Sparrowhawks are almost constantly buzzing the reserve and the Goldfinches at the moment and earlier…

It's all go on the reserve at the moment, what with Wild Wednesdays and Tea with the Gannets.

Now we have another two brilliant events coming up. As part of the Heritage Open Days project, we'll be staging guided walks at 10.30am and 2pm om Friday 9 September and Saturday 10 September.

We'll be telling visitors about the historical links between humans and seabirds, icluding the story of the climmers, egg collecting…

Wild Wednesdays are just the best fun! Today we've been out hunting bugs - and, boy, have we seen lots of them. There were loads of ladybirds flitting around, landing on our hair and crawling over the tables in the arts and crafts marquee.

Steve took the Wild Wednesday kids on a bug hunt and they discovered grassshoppers, soldier beetles, spiders and butterflies. While they were out, they did a bit more to the Bempton…

... and it's taken a step closer to becoming a reality.

Thanks to a wonderful award of £33,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, we can now start to develop our exciting plans for a seabird centre at Bempton Cliffs. This means we will be able to apply for a full grant in the future.

Our vision is that our internationally-important seabird reserve will become a year-round nature tourism destination and will play…

Every day now it keeps coming as a bit of a surprise to us that they're still here. Each day it becomes less and less likely that we'll see any, but the odd spell of dodgy weather and small numbers keep appearing as if  from nowhere. Most likely they'll be in little groups on the sea, but a couple of days ago some were still on the cliffs. We're talking, of course, of Puffins. By August they've normally long gone…

It's all happening on the reserve during the summer holidays.

Tea with the Gannets kicked off at the weekend and will be held every Tuesday and Saturday throughout August. It involves an hour's walk to meet our seabird researchers, who'll spill the beans about what they've discovered while watching the gannets this spring and summer. And the afternoon rounds off with tea and scrummy cakes in the marquee…

Have you booked your Tea with the Gannets?

Starting next week, our newest events will introduce visitors to these amazing seabirds and there will be researchers on hand to spill the beans about life on the ledges. Then it's back to the visitor centre, where there will be tea and scrummy cakes served in the marquee.

it costs £5 for non-members and £3 for RSPB members. Bargain!

Yep, Pufflings are still being seen, amazing. At the moment there's plenty of Puffin activity, but the confirmed sighting of a youngster today took us all by surprise, so worth keeping an eye out for others. The Kittiwake fledging is continuing apace too, although the high winds over the weekend meant that large numbers were blown inland and have had to be given a helping hand back out to sea. Our oldest Gannet chick…

How good must it be to able to lift off your nest and float in the air for the first time. Have been spending quite a bit of time watching our young Kittiwakes, and boy is there a lot of them this year, and now is the perfect time to catch them as the days worth of crazy flapping becomes that first faltering flight. Even if you miss the birds actually lifting off the nest for the first time, it's easy to spot the first…

If you love seabirds, the open air - and a scrummy slice of cake - then we've got the event with your name all over it. Every Tuesday and Saturday throughout August, we'll be taking tea with the gannets - and you're invited to join us.

We'll start with a clifftop walk of about an hour or so - we have been known to be longer than this because we get so carried away with the splendours of Bempton Cliffs. On…

Autumn is still rolling on in the bird world (and the amazing sighting of a summer plumaged Dunlin sitting on one of our view points last week proved just that - check out Clive's photo in the photo file in the visitor centre), but for the butterflies it is high summer. On sunny days, the reserve is alive with Ringlets, just as their name describes, with a series of obvious rings on the hind wing when the butterfly settles…

We searched all over the place and we couldn't find them - but we have now.

A couple of weeks back, we were mystified as to what had happened to the reserve's bee orchids. They just seemed to have disappeared.

But we've found them and it's a bit embarrassing because we actually didn't have to look very far - they were in the car park. We'd had reports of them being seen off the reserve, but Dave, our assistant…

Exciting times - porpoises with their young have been seen from Bartlett Nab and from the Grandstand viewpoints. And at the weekend, some visitors were lucky enought to see an edier duck.

if you're visiting, don't forget to let us know what you've seen on the reserve - or out at sea.

OK, so we may all recently have been told it's the start of summer, but try telling that to the birds. Recent sightings of both Great and Arctic Skuas are quite likely to have been failed breeders returning back south (and now lingering in the area to await the southward return of terns) and a group of five Crossbills heading west low through the reserve could possibly have been dispersing continental birds. 'Likelys…

The new viewing platforms at Jubilee and New Roll Up are being extremely well used, with our visitors saying some very complimentary things about them.

If you've enjoyed the magnificnet seabird views from there, please let us know.

An in depth report from our Bempton correspondent live from the scene........ Opinions are divided, the identification guides are out and the "Dactylorhiza deliberations" are in full swing. I have a feeling the appearance of a few quite conspicuous, presumed hybrid, orchids has caused all manner of problems. There are dozens of low growing, dark, delicately flowered Marsh Orchids here, which seem spot on for…