Sea Birds at Bempton Cliffs

10th April 2022

After the success with the auks, time for a look at some of the other sea birds and I suspect that one of the birds that Bempton Cliffs is often associated with is the Gannet. Away from the breeding season Gannets are normally just specks in the distance and are best viewed through a telescope. However at this time of year they flock to Bempton to breed and can be seen at extremely close quarters. A bit worryingly, just look at all that discarded fishing gear they are using to line their nests!!

I saw my first ever Gannet in London Zoo in the 1950s and immediately fell in love with that glorious peachy-coloured head. Absolutely beautiful.

And of course they are masters of the air and spend a lot of time flying up and down the cliffs quite effortlessly.

And when they bring in nest material they don't mess about!!

Here a Kittiwake seems to be flying in formation as a wing-man. All we need now is a Fulmar on the port side to have our very own Battle of Bempton Flight.

I don't know what it is about Kittiwakes but they they always seem to have an air of serenity and particularly friendly disposition and look very content with life on their nest.

And like many other sea birds they spend much of the day enjoying the powers of flight, just cruising up and down the cliff face providing lots of photo opportunities.

And then there are the Fulmar Petrels which are a member of the "tube-nose" family. The tube-nose is a pair of tube-like nostrils mounted on top of the bill and helps the birds remove salt from their system by forming a saline solution which is either dripped or ejected through the nostrils.

In flight they are majestic and quarter the cliffs without hardly a wing-flap, just skillfully capitalising on the up-draughts to keep them air-borne.

And when you need a break from sea birds, you just turn your back on the sea and watch the resident Barn Owl catching voles for its young in the nest box. What a great way to spend the day!!!