Gannets Galore

My brother and I took the long but very worthwhile trip up to Yorkshire today to visit the seabird cliffs at Bempton. Luckily for us the weather held out during our walk around the reserve though we had to put up with a splash or two of rain.

On arrival we were greeted by the chirping of many Tree Sparrows, there's a good number around the visitor centre. Approaching the cliffs we could clearly hear the calls of the gathered masses and could see the odd Gannet or two gliding just above the cliff edge. It truly is an overwhelming sight and sound at one of these large colonies as masses of Kittiwakes and Gannets glide around the ledges while auks shoot past on whirring wings. Something else not to be forgotten, even if you want to, is the smell coming from the vast quantities of guano deposited by the hordes.

Gannet, Kittiwakes and Fulmar.

Seeing the mainly adult Gannets so close and in such numbers is a sight to remember and it was good to see Kittiwakes still doing well, there were thousands gliding and wheeling around as well as many packed tightly on to the cliffs. Sharing the busy skies were smaller numbers of Fulmars and several Herring Gulls. Jackdaws too were fairly common and it's not too much of a stretch of the imagination to imagine Choughs adding their voices to the cacophony of sound.

Razorbill, Puffin and Guillemots.

Three species of auk nest here and of these Razorbills seemed to be the easiest to see as they appeared to be quite tolerant of their many human admirers. Guillemots while present in vast numbers chose more vertical parts of the cliffs and many were either distant or hidden from prying eyes. Number one target for many of the visitors were the Puffins which for the most part kept their distance. You could find small numbers by either searching amongst the rafts of auks sitting on the sea or glimpsing one flying past. One or two were picked out on the cliffs and luckily one of them was close enough to photograph. It's easy to see why they're so popular, a combination of their colourful beaks and bright orange feet and legs set them apart from their dowdier and larger cousins.

Herring Gull, Gannet and Razorbill.

After a couple of hours of taking in the spectacle we felt that we had seen enough and opted to leave. Given the large amounts of rain that we drove through on the way home it was perhaps just as well.

Tree Sparrow and Jackdaw.