Brambling

The most prominent feature today was the very strong and cool south west wind but becoming bright and sunny after a spell of rain. It was difficult to hold my camera so the tripod had to be utilised and even then it was difficult to prevent movement!

Yellow Browed Warbler

Few can deny the fantastic splendour of the cliffs at Bempton but there are many other areas that can be missed by visitors, such as the Dell, nature trail and feeding stations. With most of the breeding birds having left the cliffs and with migration in full flow, now is the time to spend a quiet hour (or two) checking out the birds in the vegetation. Today, I spent a couple of hours around…

Peregrine Falcon at Jubilee Corner

Circumstances today only permitted me a morning on the cliffs, under a grey sky, mist and a cool south westerly blow. Brightness started to improve late morning with the promise of a sunny, warm afternoon - just as I was leaving! The roosting Tawny Owl in the dell was well hidden today with only a few feathers on show, accompanied with good numbers of Blackbirds, a few Redwings and…

The winner of a photographic competition for school children across the region, visited RSPB Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington to receive her prize.

Cordelia Singleton, from Hornsea, took first place in the 7-11 years category of the East Riding Schools Photography Competition which encouraged youngsters to get creative and snap a photo of animals in a natural setting, be it the back garden or the open countryside…

Weasel

A pleasantly mild but predominantly overcast day, with increasing sunshine during the afternoon was  order of the day on the cliffs. Bird numbers on the cliffs continue to decrease so what is still about?

Todays Sightings:

A few Gannets remain on the cliffs, some still supporting their Gugas but larger numbers can be seen on the sea and in flight. Looking to the skies, out to sea and through the vegetation…

A beautiful early autumn day greeted me on the cliffs, blue sky, warm temperatures and a light south easterly breeze which unfortunately increased throughout the day. So what was about on this lovely day?

Todays Sightings

A lot of interest was being shown away from the cliffs in the dell and on the nature trail where Lesser Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher, Goldcrests, a very elusive Yellow Browed Warbler and the long…

The Climmers

The first record of egg collecting at Flamborough and Bempton Cliffs were from notes written by Charles Waterton in 1835 but it was believed that the practice had been taking place for hundreds of years previously by the villagers of Flamborough, Bempton, Buckton and Speeton.

How did the climmers collect the eggs?

The climmer had a harness made from leather, to which a thick rope was attached. This rope…

Gannet Life

My call to the cliffs today was met with autumnally mixed weather, sunny spells, light rain showers and a moderate, cool SW wind increasing in strength throughout the day. So, what was about?

Today's Sightings

I decided to walk the cliffs to Jubilee Corner viewing platform, which was nicely sheltered from the autumnal weather and spent more time than planned here! The ledges held mainly Gannets…

"Good Morning!"

It's early autumn on the cliffs with most of the Kittiwakes now departed, leaving Gannets, Fulmars, Herring Gulls and Shags to impress. Attention is also starting to focus on the more vegetated areas away from the cliffs, in the hope of migrating passerines. Excitement grew for a while with the four day presence of a (now departed) Greenish Warbler! Watch this space and of course the wooded…

'I want to be a sandcastle when I grow up'.  So said four year old Dylan while we waited to join the Spider Walk.  'And his best friend wants to be a Christmas Tree', added big sister Abby.  After such an interesting start to BioBlitz Day. I wasn't sure it could get any better.  But it did. 

BioBlitz Day is when we attempt to count everything that creeps, crawls, hops, flies and wriggles around the reserve…

"OL Blue Eyes!"

A taste of summer greeted us on the cliffs this morning with blue skies, warm sunshine, light wind and a gradual build up of variable cloud cover. It was great to be outside! Unfortunately for me, I could only spend the morning on the cliffs today. Today was also a "Bioblitz" day, where every creature that moved (or otherwise) was recorded - I'm sure the results we be exciting and communicated…

Spotted Flycatcher

My call to the cliffs is getting quieter! Particularly now that the Auks (Puffin, Razorbill and Guillemot) have now departed the cliffs to spend the non-breeding season out on the North Sea. A few Kittiwakes remain but their loud calls seem lost on the emptying ledges. Approaching the cliffs this morning only the sound of the Gannets remained. Large areas of the cliffs are looking naked, where…

Hedgehogs.  What's not to like?  Their Mrs Tiggywinkle sniffle, sniffle, snuffle noses and their twinkle, twinkle eyes make them almost irresistible.  But while in Beatrix Potter's tale, Mrs T thrives as a washerwoman, in real life hedgehogs aren't doing so well. In fact, there's been a drastic decline in numbers. 

The latest survey, conducted with more than 2,600 people by BBC Gardeners' World magazine,…

Volunteers founded the rspb in 1869 and today they are still at the heart of our work.

In the Summer, over 400,000 seabirds make the 350ft high cliffs their home. During the Autumn we are perfectly placed to receive an influx of migratory birds. When Winter comes we have some of the best bracing cliff top walks and seascapes in Yorkshire, or you could watch the weather go by from the warmth of the Seabird Centre.

It's that sad time of year when we say goodbye to the Auks (Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins), with very few being seen today. The Auks will be heading out onto the North Sea and North Atlantic where they will sit out the winter months before returning to the cliffs in the spring of 2018! However, there are still a lot of seabirds to be seen on the cliffs - Gannets, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Herring Gulls and Shags all…

Lepidopterists have been in a bit of a flap at RSPB Bempton Cliffs because earlier last month, a rare moth was discovered on the award winning nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs.

 Now confirmed by experts as a Tissue, it is only the 9^th time this striking pink-winged moth has been recorded in East Yorkshire since it was first spotted in 1806.

At this time of year, the team set a moth trap each Friday night and the captured…

Happy Gannet Family!

This mornings call to the cliffs was on the back of a bright, sunny morning - surprisingly the forecasted heavy rain came in earlier than expected and had passed through! Not complaining though as standing in heavy rain on the viewpoints is rather challenging and dampens the spirit! Regretfully, due to other commitments, I could only stay until 1200hrs and spent most of this time on Bartlett…