Six Miles of Birdage at Bempton Cliffs

Photo of parts of the cliffs taken near Filey.

Apparently today is Yorkshire Day. I don’t really know what that means. Wear a flat cap, drink ale and be sure to let everybody know you live in Yorkshire maybe. But for what it’s worth, I like living here. Yorkshire has a rugged beauty to it, especially the moors and the seaside. There is a 6 mile stretch of chalky coastline about an hour north of Hull. It’s a nature reserve called Bempton Cliffs, which is the scene of a noisy spectacle from April until August. About 200,000 seabirds breed along the cliff line and it’s amazing to watch and hear. It is also a little bit smelly so don’t expect a fresh sea breeze...

Drenched!

I went to Bempton for the first time in late spring/early summer 2011. I’d just finished my final modules at uni and had some weeks to fill before I had to head back to Germany so I went on random day trips from Hull to places that sounded interesting. I was still a bit of a newbie to this “dressing sensibly when going outside”-thing and ended up wearing jeans and a cotton jumper for a day out in the pouring rain. I had only just discovered the genius of wearing waterproof shoes and was so happy with myself that I didn’t think of waterproofing the rest of me. After all my jumper had a hood so... Well, needless to say my first experience was damp and cold. I vividly remember cursing those smelly birds for luring me out. To top it all off the next train back to Hull was not until an hour and a half so I sat in Bempton’s village pub shivering over a cup of tea and trying to dry myself with the hand dryer in the bathroom. Dashing! But even when the train finally arrived, it took an hour to get to Hull and then I had to walk for another 40 minutes to get back to my student accommodation. I learnt my lesson and am now the proud owner of three waterproof jackets! It’s funny how my hiking boots recently gave up their waterproof properties, though. I only seem to be allowed to have one or the other.

Either way, Bempton was not on the top of my list of places to visit once I had moved back to Hull but a few weekends ago we walked from Flamborough to Filey via Bempton Cliffs on a non-rainy day. There are a couple of viewpoints along the cliffs and several RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) members had set up their binoculars and were answering visitors’ questions. That’s when I saw my first close-up of a puffin in the wild! You quickly get the hang of puffin spotting and I found them very recognisable due to their fluttery flight and their colourful beak. They normally seek a solitary existence out at sea but come to the cliffs to breed around May-July. If you want to get a close look at them then DO NOT forget your binoculars like we might have done, ahem.

One bird species you do have a good chance of getting a close look at even without binoculars is the gannet. Bempton Cliffs is the only gannet breeding area on the British mainland although 25% of the northern gannet population breeds in the UK. Islands such as the Scottish St Kilda and the Shetlands are major gannet territory! They are big birds with a wingspan of up to 2 metres and it takes them 5 years to reach maturity.

The final bird I could recognise was also the most common one to be seen whizzing around the cliffs: the kittiwake. 10% of the UK’s kittiwake population are at home at Bempton. There are only 8 major bird species living at the cliffs throughout the year so the number is manageable and I should probably make an effort to learn them all and tell them from each other... maybe. I found this guide to what highlights can be found at the cliffs throughout the year pretty interesting and it gives you an idea of what birds to expect when.

Incidentally, the cliffs are also a great place for going porpoise and minke whale spotting. I’d like to do that soon so this would require another trip to the seaside. Hurray! I’ll be sure to pack binoculars and a raincoat this time.