Re: Puffins at Bempton ~ When is the best time?

Hello again everybody,

I had a lot of real help last year when lots of you talked about Puffins and gave me some very useful information. But I missed them by a couple of weeks as when I got to Bempton there was were just a lonely couple which I snatched a glimpse of at the bottoms of the cliff. My dates last year were around the 7th of July which was clearly way too late. I also encountered the dreaded black fly off the Rape and found out as the yellow flower drops the flies take to he wing ~ so that needs avoiding.

I am going to have another crack at this year but would appreciate some help on the right time to go. Some advice would be appreciated . . . .  .

Thanks, David

Here is my 'Lonely Puffin'

The Puffins tend to come back onto the cliffs about mid March and,depending on breeding success, stay until mid August.I am surprised you missed most of them in early July but I understand that numbers are down in recent years.it  would be worth giving the visitor centre a ring in Spring to see if the birds are showing.Enjoy your visit it's a great place that we try to visit a few times a year.

Hi Seaman, thanks for the reply. In the the three days we stayed in the are we visited everyday and we only saw a couple of the birds, there were more earlier but I think that they had flown . . .  When I had some dialogue last year on the forum quite a few people had seen good showings but I am not sure of timing as that now seems critical with fewer numbers.

Thanks, DavidM

May not help but when we went to see the Puffins on Treshnish Isles there were thousands mid May and my guess that would be a good time as they were all frantically pulling up grass and taking into their burrows.

Hi Sooty,

Thats useful information on timing as all sites will nest at round about the same time.

Good stuff,

DavidM

 

Hi-

I would suggest late May to late June to be sure of seeing Puffins :)

S

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:42BPBjKqv_AJ:www.flamboroughmanor.co.uk/bempton.htm+puffins+at+bempton&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

There are seabird cruises - see link.

I've been a few Whitsun holiday times and never failed on Puffins then.....

JBNTS

davidmelville

Hello again everybody,

I had a lot of real help last year when lots of you talked about Puffins and gave me some very useful information. But I missed them by a couple of weeks as when I got to Bempton there was were just a lonely couple which I snatched a glimpse of at the bottoms of the cliff. My dates last year were around the 7th of July which was clearly way too late. I also encountered the dreaded black fly off the Rape and found out as the yellow flower drops the flies take to he wing ~ so that needs avoiding.

I am going to have another crack at this year but would appreciate some help on the right time to go. Some advice would be appreciated . . . .  .

Thanks, David

Here is my 'Lonely Puffin'

Hi David, last year the puffins did leave early, we went the same time as you, and the flies were terrible, one lady had a yellow hat on. it was compleartly covered, we were talking to the ranger, as we had heard a quail calling in the first field, i would say the best time is end april, first in may, as they will be feeding, so are back and fourth to nest site, best regards Mac

Hi Mac,

Thanks for your input it is appreciated. I am sort of honing in on a week either side of the 11th or 18th. This will miss Bank Holidays, give the air a chance to warm up a bit more and hopefully miss those flies. We thought that we had gone back in time to some Biblical plague on the Egyptians!

Have a good day and any pics of puffins at Bempton would help me . . . 

David