Flamborough Cliffs

Flamborough Cliffs lie a couple of miles, if that, south of Bempton Cliffs. Another big seabird colony is here, with more puffins than at Bempton. There weren't as many gannets here.

The weather wasn't as good as the previous day, with squally showers and winds that made one feel a little unsafe near high cliffs. Fortunately, North Landing has a large and pleasant cafe opposite the car park where you can get a cup of tea and wait for any squalls to pass before venturing back out.

Parking is straightforward, there is a large car park which is a pay and display one - you can either use coins, credit/debit card or an app. Don't try and skip the payment bit, they have ANPR cameras installed there.

Click on photos for larger versions. Except the Northern Marsh Orchid which is a crappy iPhone photo. The algorithm Blogspot uses seems to compress the thumbnails to fuck and they look worse than they really are. These are the jpegs from the camera (I have it set to large jpegs and also RAW, the latter have yet to be edited; I got as far as importing them but that's it). Once I get properly organised, I will open a Flickr account, or similar - nothing too fancy - and upload on there as well as the blog.

Flamborough wasn't as crowded as Bempton, which made an altogether more pleasant experience. Bempton is lovely but the sheer amount of people there made it awkward and a bit annoying at times.

Bempton Cliffs RSPB Reserve, June 2024

On the Monday I left Scarborough for the East Riding and the seabird cities of Bempton and Flamborough. 

Bempton is a popular spot because it's easy to see the nesting auks and other seabirds on the cliffs there. They have a shop, cafe and toilets, as well as car parking; however, it does feel rather curated, with an RSPB volunteer on every lookout point ready to show puffins to their adoring public (the puffins' adoring public, not the RSPB volunteers').

The cliffs were crammed with seabirds, as well as feral pigeons and Jackdaws. It's very much a precarious existence, certainly for any eggs and chicks, as the nests are made on even the smallest space available. Competition for space is fierce and intruders are summarily sent packing. The razorbills and guillemots definitely don't like each other.

The sound and smell of thousands of seabirds is indescribable, so I won't bother with that but the smell, while strong, is not unpleasant although you wouldn't want it in your house. 

A Barn Owl was seen hunting in the fields near the overspill car park and this isn't unusual during the breeding season when they need to hunt as often as it takes, which includes daylight (except in bad weather).

Bempton is a great place to see these birds without having to take a boat trip. It was busy and the lookout points felt a bit crowded at times, as there were so many people - a surprise on a normal Monday during term time - and a bit curated. Flamborough Head North Landing the following day was better, with fewer people, no fences and no 'curation'. That said, it's well worth a visit if you're in the area and want to see seabirds on their nesting grounds - and I renewed my lapsed RSPB membership at the same time.

Black Metal and Birding

Strange title so here’s a quick explanation: I visited Scarborough, North Yorkshire, for a two-day music festival at the Spa, the music in question being an extreme form of heavy metal, called ‘black metal’ which I am a big fan of. Once the festival was over, I drove down to stay in Bridlington and visit the nearby seabird colonies at Bempton Cliffs, an RSPB reserve, and Flamborough cliffs, part owned by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

A few photos from the event, the main reason I was up north (all questionable - i.e. crap - iPhone pictures):

Scarborough has a large population of Black-legged Kittiwakes who, despite the best efforts of the local council, have made their homes in the middle of the town. Bridges, buildings and street lights all have kittiwake perches and nests.

They're far more common in Yorkshire than down on the south coast where I live and they were nice to see. Down here, they only nest on the cliffs, rather than town centre buildings.