Bempton Cliffs are a paradise for sea birds at this time of year, May. Nesting on the chalk cliff face the gulls are building nests and laying their young. The early starters are already hatching the chicks.
The crowds gather in one particular spot in the hope of seeing Puffins, the iconic bird found at Bempton. We saw three on the cliff and several flying shapes that seemed just like a puffin in flight. However I also spent a long time watching a Razorbill only to be told I couldn’t tell my Puffin from my pullover.
I know I need to invest in a camera with a better lens and a telescopic one to boot. Even with the best I can afford I would still be put to shame by some of the cameras on show by the other ornithologists (twitchers to most of us). Still they probably have photographs of birds not just cliffs and sky.
- Birds do not need directions like this to find the nesting spots.Bempton is just 3 miles from the resort of Bridlington and has a railway station, regular bus service, post office, church and a duck pond.
- Bempton is located between Scarborough and Filey and close to Whitby and Driffield on the North Sea coast line
- The feeding station at Bempton is for the birds but not the sea birds. It is set in a glade between trees and attracts a wide range of garden and field birds.
- For the human gannets Bempton village pub is called the White Horse.
- The Seagulls favourite singer is Summer Holiday singer and perennial Young One ‘Cliff’
Not a sport for everyone and Bempton cliff is not the place to start this new pastime.
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