Last Sunday, with a 5am wake up call, we headed off to the East coast, and Bempton Clffs (near Bridlington).
Arriving just before noon, the heat started to build up, with a slight sea haze, and very little breeze. Thanks to Springwatch earlier that week featuring the reserve, crowd numbers were up, making some of the viewing spots difficult to get to. Patience was a virtue.
Right, couple of things you need to know about seabird colonies. 1) they're loud. Seriously loud. The calls are not melodic, but you'll never forget them. 2) also unforgettable is the smell. Seabirds, by their nature, predate on fish. Fish, when digested...well, you get the idea!
The reserve's emblem is a puffin, but if you head out, expecting them to be sat a couple of feet away, you'll be disappointed. Due to the nature of the place, with 400 foot cliffs, the puffins at rest are best seen through a powerful spotting scope. Some locations, they can be seen in flight, but only briefly. Kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills are plentiful and great to see. The highlight, though, is England's only mainland Gannet colony. Thousands of these beautiful birds congregate on a natural arch, protruding from the cliff.
Outside of the seabirds that form the main attraction, the heaths atop the cliffs are home to numerous skylarks - heard, rarely seen! Orchids pop up from the grass in parts too, purple heads stopping people in their tracks!
Away from the madding crowd, Amber and I found a bench. A vine weevil decided to explore our hands, while on the bushes around us, my favourite bird of the day bobbed up and down - a Whitethroat!
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