The RSPB Community

Tricks of the seabird monitoring trade

Maria Prchlik — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:30:00 GMT

It's all go up on the cliffs for both the birds and the seabird monitoring team. Mike, one of dedicated volunteers, has decided to give us some background to their work in his latest update.

Now that the monitoring season is in full swing I thought I’d try to explain how the seabird monitoring programme at Bempton Cliffs works. No apologies for the long post – the scientific work done behind the scenes is a key part of what happens at Bempton.

Essentially there are two kinds of monitoring going on – productivity monitoring and population monitoring. Both are carried out in accordance with techniques included in the Seabird Monitoring Handbook for Britain and Ireland published by the JNCC – which you can look at here: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-2406. By using standard techniques we ensure that our results are comparable year to year and with other colonies monitored using the same methods.

Photo: Andrew Harrison

Productivity monitoring measures breeding success. For each species we check a selection of nests – usually 50 - on plots scattered throughout the colony at Bempton and Flamborough. Ideally, plots would be selected randomly, but at Bempton we are constrained by which areas of the cliff we can see and monitor safely and so we use the same plots year to year. At each visit the status of the nest (egg presence (and clutch size if relevant), chick presence/numbers, etc) are recorded until the nest fails of the chick or chicks fledge. Our Guillemots and Razorbills are checked every three days, Gannets, Fulmar, Herring Gulls and Kittiwakes are checked weekly. At the end of the season we can check productivity by plot and across the colony by dividing the number of fledges chicks by the number of nests monitored.

Population monitoring measures trends in colony numbers. At its simplest a series of counts of all birds in a colony is made and an average taken – the reason for multiple counts is to reflect that a single count will miss some birds. At Bempton this would be a massive task - the colony stretches from Flamborough nearly to Filey. So we count the same sample plots every year to give us a snapshot of changes in the overall population. The exact method used varies by species. Guillemots and Razorbills are counted individually. Kittiwakes are counted by ‘Apparently Occupied Nest’. Using these standard techniques means that we can compare our data with other colonies to try to build up a larger picture of what’s happening with UK seabirds.

It’s a huge task. The two residential volunteers are on the cliffs for 8+ hours two days out of every three. An army of other volunteers – including RSPB staff who like nothing better than to spend their spare time counting Guillemots or trying to get a look into 50 Gannet nests – are out carefully checking their plot or plots every day of the week. And the data we gather is one small piece of the jigsaw that is understanding what is happening to seabirds in the North Sea and beyond.

Photo: Neil Gregory

A walk on the wildflower side

Maria Prchlik — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Planting over 3000 wildflower plugs is no mean feat. But in order to create a wildflower meadow on the reserve, that's the task faced by Assistant Warden David Aitken over the next couple of weeks.

So we decided to ask our local primary school if they'd like to lend a helping hand. Fortunately they said , yes. So on a sunny morning in early June, a 'walking bus' of 30 pupils from Class 4 set off down the lane ready to go to work on the reserve.

After a dibbing demonstation from David (which, for non-gardeners out there, is pushing a pointy stick into the ground to make a hole for the seedling to sit in), it was off to the meadow for some serious planting.

With funding from a Higher Level Stewardship Agreement with Natural England, the mix of Ox-Eye Daisy, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Salad Burnet, Meadow Cranesbill, Marjoram, Cowslip, Betony and Small Scabious will attract a host of bees, butterflies and other insects to an area that is already home to birds such as skylarks and meadow pipits.

We also hope it will attract the children back to see how the flowers are progressing - and learn about the wildlife that the meadow will support.

Class 4 with teacher Matthew Clark and RSPB Bempton Cliffs' Education Officer, Steve Race.

Assistant Warden David Aitken demonstrates the fine art of dibbing.

Team Flower Power ready for action.

Hannah, Courtney, Shannon and Stephanie put in the first of many birdsfoot trefoil under the watchful eye of RSPB Volunteer Alan Bellaby.

The class managed to plant over 240 wildflowers - a big thank you to them all.

Chick It Out

Scott Smith — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:10:58 GMT

Well it’s been a hectic few months, apologies for the lack of updates. However, here is the state of play at Bempton Cliffs from our residential seabird research volunteers.

“After a slow start, the breeding season at Bempton is finally in full swing, as is our monitoring effort. Most species are two or three weeks late breeding (some of this year’s early Gannet chicks were nearly a month later than last year’s), but chicks are now starting to appear more frequently. We have good numbers of Guillemot chicks, and though the Razorbills are a little slower we are seeing more chicks with every visit.

Gannet chicks are also starting to appear in reasonable numbers – the best chance of spotting one is at Staple Newk viewpoint. They start out small and black but become easier to spot as their white feathers grow. The Kittiwakes seem to be having a particularly late breeding year, and have only recently begun to lay eggs. We wonder whether clutch sizes may be smaller than average this year as Kittiwakes limit the effort they put into breeding and look forward to receiving the results from our Kittiwake monitoring team.

One species that missed the late breeding memo is Herring Gulls, with mobile chicks observed on a number of nests. They may have been less affected by the weather that had such an impact on the true pelagic birds earlier this spring.”

Yet there is more to see than just seabirds here at Bempton Cliffs. Skylarks can be seen singing high above the meadows, and Reed and Corn Buntings are often heard before they are seen, perched amongst the pink carpet of Red Campion flowers beyond Jubilee Corner. Birds of prey have also been putting on a good show, with the Peregrine and Kestrel both showing well at Grandstand viewpoint early most mornings, and the local Barn Owl making regular appearances. A Short-eared Owl has been seen several times towards the top of Hoddy Cows’ Lane at our reserve boundary, though this week’s highlight was the fly by from a Montagu’s Harrier, spotted by one of our Scarborough Peregrine volunteers.

RNLI, camera, action!

Maria Prchlik — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:30:00 GMT

There was excitement a-plenty aboard the Yorkshire Belle last Sunday as the Family Cruise proved more action-packed than a TV show full of car chases.

The crew from Flamborough RNLI station were out on their regular Sunday morning training session and asked Skipper Peter to come alongside as part of the exercise. After a brief word with volunteer Geoff Edmondson, permission was granted and then one of the crew boarded the boat, as they might have to do in an actual rescue situation.

The children especially loved meeting the real-life heroes and the seabirds they spotted later had some stiff competition as to what was the best thing they saw on the cruise.

There's been a lifeboat stationed at Flamborough since 1878 and the craft they currently use (for those of a technical nature) is an inshore Atlantice 85 lifeboat. The crew have been presented with 16 awards for gallantry. You can find out more about them at: www.rnli.org

Flamborough lifeboat makes its first pass of the Yorkshire Belle

The lifeboat moves in close as part of its training exercise

Permission to pull alongside is granted by the Yorkshire Belle's skipper

The crew board the Yorkshire Belle much to the delight of the passengers...and our female volunteers.

It shouldn't happen to a vet

Maria Prchlik — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:30:00 GMT

We like a happy ending. And this is definitely one of the happiest we had last month.

Chris, one of the RSPB's membership development officers, discovered a razorbill in a bit of a sorry state on the reserve. After much discussion, it was thought that the problem might be a broken wing.

So it was off to Priory Vets in nearby Bridlington with the razorbill firmly strapped into the passenger seat of Chris's car (safe inside a box, of course).

Vet Hayley made a careful exhamination of the bird and confidently declared that there were no broken bones and that after a bit of R & R, the razorbill would be as right as ninepence.

So after a good rest and a good feed, the bird was returned to the cliff tops (safe inside that box again) and released by the team. Smiles all round.

Hayley of Priory Vets, Bridlington finds a new use for an old towel

Sarah from the RSPB says a fond farewell to the razorbill

A final glance back at his rescuers

Time to go

Going, going, gone; swallowed up by the unseasonal May mist.

The patter of tiny webbed feet

Maria Prchlik — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:01:00 GMT

Busy, busy, busy. There's a frenzy of activity up on the clifs as the breeding season really gets into its stride. The seabird monitoring team are out at all hours trying to keep up with the action. More from Mike and the crew on the cliffs:

Apologies for the delay since the last update – but things are getting busy for the seabird monitoring team. All of our birds are now on eggs, the first chicks are appearing and there’s never been a better time to visit Britain’s largest mainland seabird colony.

Since my last update fulmar have returned to the cliffs and are now on eggs – where they will patiently spend the next 50-odd days – they have the longest incubation period of any of our seabirds.

The fulmar have landed and are now on eggs (Image: Steve Race)

Our kittwakes are also now in full breeding mode. Something like half of the nests have eggs and the remainder of the birds are busy gathering nest material – they seem to favour wet vegetation/earth for their nest platforms and then drier vegetation for the nest cup. How cool is that!

Kittiwakes nesting on the cliffs

One thing we’ve noticed so far is that most of the nests we see have only one or two eggs in, while kittiwakes can have clutches of up to three. We wonder if the late start to the breeding season means that birds will have smaller clutches so they can focus their attention on fewer chicks. Or maybe the third eggs will appear soon. One thing’s for sure – it’s never dull on the cliffs. If you see a kittiwake nest with three eggs in let us know.

Finally - our first gannet chick appeared – nearly three weeks later than last year. If you are at Staple Newk keep a close eye on the Gannets or ask a viewpoint volunteer if they can pick the chick out for you.

Pair 33 are first again in the chick stakes. (Image: Steve Race)

Bird table attracts unusual birds

Maria Prchlik — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:26:00 GMT

An art gallery isn't the first place you'd think of putting a bird table. But that's exactly what's happened at Gallery 49 in Bridlington's Old Town.

An RSPB Gothic bird table is acting as the centrepiece in the gallery's latest exhibition, 'Gardens and Flowers', which features a number of wire birds from artist, Chris Moss.

Using both new and recycled materials, Chris has created a flock of life-size garden birds that she describes as 'drawing in three dimensions'. Beautiful and as delicate as the real thing, the bird table proved to be the perfect place to display them.

Corinne Young, gallery manager, hopes the broad range of artworks in the show will attract nature lovers as well as art lovers:

'It's a very eclectic exhibition, featuring a variety of media, that's already received a lot of interest'.

The bird table will be home to the wire birds until 29 June when the exhibition ends. More details can we found at www.galleryforty-nine.com

Artist Chris Moss and Gallery 49 owner, Liz Hillman

Exhibition organiser, Corinne Young, with more of the artworks.

Chris's wren and blue tit

Sailing into the sun

Maria Prchlik — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:18:00 GMT

The sea sparkled silver. The sky blazed blue. It was the perfect day for the RSPB Family cruise from Bridlington harbour aboard the Yorkshire Belle. There were Mums, Dads, Grans, Grandads, friends, family and a dog called Harry. Everyone was mega-excited at the prospect of seeing the seabirds up close and personal...especially the puffins. So here's how the voyage got underway - from a land-lubber's point of view:

First in the queue, Madeleine, Dad and Libby wait to board

Connie brought her own puffin...along with Mum and Eddie

Mum Julie, Dad Joe and a very smiley Max

Volunteer Sarah is accused of having too much fun

The team from the RSPB local group make sure everything's ship shape

A bit of binocular practice

A wave as the engines start

Anchors aweigh

Bon voyage everyone

Going cappuffinccino crazy

Maria Prchlik — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 07:59:00 GMT

There's been hundreds of cappuffinccinos served up around Bridlington this bank holiday.

Visitors and locals alike have been sipping them at the Spa; relaxing with them at Richie's and lingering over them at the Lobster Pot.

So here are just a few of those who've been making these special coffees to say 'Welcome Back' to the Bempton Cliffs puffins.

Thanks one and all.

Sarah at Macey's

Julie at The Sandown

Amy at The Spa

Jess at The Dolphin

John at the Station Buffet

A wriggly visitor

Maria Prchlik — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:57:00 GMT

Not everyone's a fan of creepy crawlies. But the latest visitor to our offices won a few hearts.

Site Manager, Keith Clarkson, discovered a large caterpillar on one of the reserve's paths and immediately reverted to his 10 year old self and popped it in a matchbox.

Whizzing back to the office, he confirmed his suspicion that it was a drinker - so named because it is apparently partial to drinking drops of dew.

Keith reckons that the caterpillar was looking for a place to pupate and come July/August there will be a fully formed drinker moth in its place. (Ain't nature amazing?)

After briefly checking that our health and safety proceduces were in order, the drinker left the office In a rather more spacious container than he arrived in (tupperware food box) and was returned to the reserve to let nature take its course.

The drinker caterpillar studies the RSPB rules on risk assessment.

The impressive drinker moth. Photo: GrahamC RSPB Community

Where to enjoy a cappuffinccino

Maria Prchlik — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:20:00 GMT

Over the Bank Holiday, half-term week and possibly beyond, you can sit back and relax with a cappuffunccino in Bridlington at the cafes, pubs and bars listed below:

Bull and Sun, Baylegate, Old Town, Bridlington

Coffee Coast, South Cliff Road, Bridlington

Dolphin Café, Prince Street, Bridlington

Dolphin Restaurant, Prince Street, Bridlington

Expanse Hotel, North Marine Drive, Bridlington

Georgian Rooms, High Street, Old Town, Bridlington

Goldings, Manor Street, Bridlington

Jerome’s/ Pavillion Bar, Royal Prince’s Parade, Bridlington

The Lounge, King Street, Bridlington

The Lobster Pot, Kingsgate, Bridlington

Macy’s, Promenade, Bridlington

Marina Café, Bridlington

The Martonian, Sheeprake Lane, Bridlington

Marton Manor Farm Tearooms, Sewerby, Bridlington

Notarini’s, Prince Street, Bridlington

Thornton’s Chocolates Coffee Shop, Chapel Street, Bridlington

Rag’s, The Harbour, Bridlington

Richard Burton Tearoom and Gallery, Buckton

Richie’s, South Beach, Bridlington

Rowan Tree, Regent Terrace, Bridlington

RSPB Bempton Cliffs, between Bridlington and Filey

Sandown, Cliff Street, Bridlington

The Station Buffet, Bridlington Railway Station

The Spa, Bridlington

Sewerby Hall, Clock Café, Bridlington

Tea and Thyme, Prospect Street, Bridlington

Topham’s, Cross Street, Bridlington

Waterfront, North Marine Drive, Bridlington (TBC)

Wetherspoon’s ‘Prior John’, Promenade, Bridlington

Cappuffinccino Town

Maria Prchlik — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:00:00 GMT

It’s been a crazy few weeks on the marketing front at the reserve. And it all started with a chance discovery - a stencil made by Richard Burton for his tearoom/gallery that he used to create a chocolate puffin silhouette on cappuccinos.

It proved to be an important moment - the birth of the 'cappuffinccino'.

Then came the idea to use cappuffinccinos to celebrate the return of the bird to Bempton Cliffs after the dreadful number of puffin deaths at the end of March and beginning of April.

Could the whole of the town be persuaded to serve cappuffinccinos in a bid to welcome them home? There was only one way to find out: visit as many cafes, coffee shops and bars as possible to explain it.

Several days and two blisters later, dozens had signed up to serve cappuffinccinos.

Then came the really hard work: stencil cutting and laminating into the early hours of the morning; mad dashes to deliver them along with assorted leaflets and signs; not to mention a photo shoot that turned one of our cliff-edge viewpoints into an al fresco cappuffinccino café.

There’s also been a pronunciation issue to resolve. Just how do you say the name? (Ask your waiter or waitress confidently for a ca-puffin-chino).

But finally, the brilliant baristas and bar staff of Brid have their stencils at the ready and are good to go.

So over the late Spring bank holiday weekend (from 24 May) and the following half-term week, hundreds upon hundreds of frothy coffees bearing a chocolate puffin will be sipped all over town. In small cafes, in large restaurants, in hotels and in bars, from the south beach to the north.

And they're already proving to be a talking point. But then that’s the whole idea - to spark converstions with the thousands of visitors who come to the seaside about the wonders of Bempton Cliffs – especially the puffins who make their home here during the breeding season.

All we need now are customers.

Avril cutting out in the early hours of the morning (for which she received The Order of the Puffin)

The RSPB's Chris and Janey, with Richard Burton, drinking cappuffinccinos for the press.

A perfect cappuffinccino

A list of everyone serving cappuffinccinos will appear here soon. One will also be available in the reserve’s visitor centre and at Bridlington Tourist Information centre…whose staff are also creating a cappuffinccino-inspired window display. So if you're planning a trip to Bridlington, check out the cappuffinccino 'directory' first.

Getting all lovey dovey.

Maria Prchlik — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:24:00 GMT

To quote Wet Wet Wet, love is all around. The birds are getting smoochy and the seabird monitoring team have their work cut out keeping up with things as nature takes its course. Mike continues his tale from the cliff-edge:

Breeding season continues to gather pace here at Bempton Cliffs. Most of the gannets on our monitoring plots are on eggs, and there are more lovely turquoise guillemot eggs and brown/white razorbill eggs on the
cliffs every day. Soon the seabird monitoring season will be in full swing.

Even our other species are finally getting in on the action at last. Our kittiwakes can be seen on the cliff tops, morning and evening, gathering material to repair their nests; and the fulmars, well a lot of the fulmars have disappeared, which they often do just before they come back to the cliffs to lay their eggs. Maybe they’re having a break before the serious business of incubating an egg –which they do for longer than any of our other birds - then raising their chicks.

.Kittiwakes gathering nesting material

But what about the puffins? I hear you cry. It’s certainly the bird we get asked about the most. puffins are natural burrow nesters – and at most colonies the only way to see the egg is to reach down the burrow and feel for it. At Bempton we can’t even do that since our birds, in the absence of burrows, nest deep in crevices in the tall cliffs. But eagle-eyed visitor centre staff have spotted one on our CCTV system – so we know that at least one little puffling is on its way!

Look closely, there's a puffin egg in there.

Follow the swallows

Maria Prchlik — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:35:00 GMT

The ‘Welcome’ sign above the visitor centre has been taken literally by a couple of swallows as volunteer, Allan Dawson, explained:

‘Every year the same pair of swallows return to this spot and make their home right above our front door. Last year they had one brood of four chicks which strained our necks to see.

This year, we thought we’d keep a closer eye on them by setting up a camera link and transmitting the images onto one of the screens in the visitor centre.‘

So armed with metres of wire and a small camera , Allan spent a tricky morning balancing on a step ladder fitting the camera then getting the angle and focus just right.

We’ll now be tuning in to our very own swallow soap opera every day as the birds bill and coo and get ready for their new family to arrive.

Allan added, ‘ We’ve dug over a patch of ground nearby and we’re keeping it well watered so there’ll be mud enough for the birds to keep their nest ship-shape’.

The team has also put up some terracotta nests to encourage more swallows to take up residence close by.

We’ll be posting images from ‘swallow- cam’ on our Facebook page.

The camera being installed.

The swallows sitting on it instead of in front of it.

Education Officer Steve Race showing the local RSPB Wildlife Explorers group the nest.

Great skua starboard!

Maria Prchlik — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:39:00 GMT

One of the highlights of the reserve's year is its Seabird Cruises from Bridlington harbour aboard the iconic Yorkshire Belle. Keith Barrow, one of the RSPB local group volunteers who assist the crew and provide a commentary on the trips, gives us an insight into what it's like to make the journey across the bay and round the headland:

As we crossed Bridlington Bay on a lovely sunny morning, taking in the spectacle of the chalk cliffs which form the Flamborough Heritage Coast, passengers could start to see why the coastline is a Special Protection Area and internationally important for its seabirds.

We passed the occasional herring and great black-backed gull, before seeing a group of cormorants resting on one of the large marker buoys, quickly followed by views of its close cousin the shag. Soon we were passing FIamborough’s Lighthouse and onto the seabird colony of Breil Newk where Peter, skipper of the Yorkshire Belle, gets us steers us right into the hustle and bustle of 'seabird city'.

The bird cries richocheted off the cliffs - amongst them the ringing calls of the kittiwakes repeating their own name, 'kittiwaaake, kittiwaaake'.- and there were close views of the shags, guillemots and razorbills getting down to the serious business of egg laying; the comical puffin soon put in an appearance too.

Passing Flamborough North Landing and the old lifeboat station, on beyond Thornwick Bay to the outer boundry of the RSPB reserve, the chalk cliffs rise dramatically from 100-150 feet high to a towering 425 feet at Buckton. Here fulmars, close relatives of the albatross, came calling and shearwaters glided effortlessly by on their long stiff wings close enougn to see their feathers rippling in the wind.

Further along we were treated to the sight of a peregrine falcon flying right over the boat.. Then gannets, the largest seabird breeding in the North Atlantic with a wing span of up to six feet, skirted past on their way back to Staple Newk, part of England’s only mainland gannetry. As the skipper nudged us closer still to the cliffs. we could see the gannets on their nests of seaweed, old rope and brightly coloured fishing net.

Sailing along underneath the cliffs, the sight of the ledges lined with guillemots standing shoulder to shoulder with their neighbours, scattered pairs of razorbills along with scores of kittiwakes was truly spectacular. We were then treated to the sight of a great skua sweeping by. 60% of the world’s population breeds in northern Scotland and this was an unusual sighting for this time of year.

As we turned to return, three common scoter were seen sitting on the water. These are seaducks that breed on lakes and bogs in Scandinavia, the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea and across into Russia. Their sighting in the late afternoon sun really brought home the diversity of birds that thrive on the cliffs at Bempton.

Dates and times of all our 2013 sailings can be found on our Events page

The Belle from the cliff tops

'Seabird City' in full swing

An unseasonal great skua

Eggs by the dozen

Maria Prchlik — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:54:00 GMT

It's been a nervous time for the seabird monitoring team, scouring the cliff tops and wondering how the terrible early spring weather had affected the colony. But the news from the boys on the edge is all good. Here's the latest from Mike:

We have eggs! Just when some people were starting to wonder if there was going to be a breeding season this year, the team have started spotting seabird eggs on the cliffs at Bempton.

Last week one of our gannet monitoring plots had 22 eggs out of 50 nests and we spotted two guillemot eggs on the cliffs at Flamborough.

Finally, on Bank Holiday Monday (we’re that keen on seabirds) the first guillemot egg was spotted on the reserve at Bempton. If there’s one there must be a few more we can’t see on the cliff face – with more to come. It can’t be long until we’re seeing razorbill and kittiwake too.

These eggs illustrate the different ways that our breeding seabirds have adapted to the cliff environment where they breed. Gannets and guillemots both lay a single egg. The gannets lay in a nest and the egg is, well, egg shaped. The guillemots lay theirs directly onto a small ledge and the egg is conical so that if it gets kicked or knocked it rolls in a circle rather than off the cliff. Nature is a brilliant designer!

Tom's photo of guillemot egg No.1.

Mike counting on the cliff tops

An 'epic' adventure

Maria Prchlik — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:09:00 GMT

Being beside the seaside, there are lots of holiday parks close by. One of the nearest is Primrose Valley, on the way to Filey.

With the help of Owner Events Co-ordinator, Verity Hull, we’ve organised a series of things to do especially for those with holiday homes in this lovely spot.

We kicked off over the Bank Holiday with 20 or so owners and their children being given an exclusive tour of the seabird spectacle.

Kitted out with binoculars and bird identification charts, the group spent a happy couple of hours on the viewpoints as gannets soared around and above and kittiwakes cried across the cliffs to one another.

As one of the youngest visitors said, the experience was ‘Epic!’ And it seemed the adults agreed.

Throughout the summer, the RSPB team will be visiting the park to give talks and run activities during the school holidays, as well as welcoming Primrose Valley owners back to the reserve again. Should be fun.

Team Primrose Valley

Daisy spots a razorbill

Owner Events Co-ordinator Verity gets a lesson from daughter Cherie in how to use binoculars.

The group takes to one of the cliff-edge viewpoints.

Weasels' playtime

Maria Prchlik — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT

The reserve is home to far more than our famous seabirds.

Early riser Graham Breeze hit the jackpot the other morning when he spotted some of our other residents out and about.

While everyone else was snoozing in their beds, he was enthralled by an encounter with two weasels enjoying the sunshine and each other's company.

Fortunately he captured this special moment in a series of photos that show the sheer joy of being alive.

Wish we'd been there.

Running around the reserve.

The chase is on.

A quick turn and change of direction.

Getting closer.

Gotcha!

The Waiting Game

Maria Prchlik — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:30:00 GMT

Our new seabird monitoring volunteers, Mike and Tom, are settling in nicely both on Cliff Lane and on the cliff tops.

Throughout their time with us, they've promised to keep us regularly posted about which seabirds are doing what where.

So here's the first of their updates from Mike:

'It’s been a funny spring on the East Coast. Poor weather at the end of March/early April led to a much talked about seabird wreck. Bad weather also meant that seabirds have been slow to return to their colonies. Monitoring the effects of these conditions on our breeding seabirds is a key part of our work and we can’t wait to get stuck into it proper.

As a result of the unseasonal cold temperatures and strong winds, breeding seems to have been delayed. One colony has reported having no Shag eggs on the date that they had their first chicks last year.

Here at Bempton Cliffs there are plenty of birds about, with lots of Gannets, auks – including the popular Puffins and Kittiwakes - on the cliffs. But so far a few Gannet eggs are the only ones we have
spotted.

The team live in hope though – a cliff observation session on Friday noted plenty of ‘action’ from our breeding seabirds and hopefully that will lead to the patter of webbed feet. We'll let you know'.

Join a Puffin Patrol

Maria Prchlik — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:45:54 GMT

We love sharing the escapades of our cliff-roaming puffins with everyone. But sometimes, this iconic little bird is a bit tricky to find. So we've been running regular Puffin Patrols to give visitors the best possible chance of spotting one (or even a six).

On Saturday morning a very excited group left the visitor centre with site manager, Keith Clarkson, leading the way and volunteer John Witty assisting. The puttins were keeping well hidden - although our cliff-edge CCTV camera had been trained on one for hours. Still, our eagle-eyed viewpoint volunteers were on look-out duty on the viewpoints to ensure the group wasn't disappointed.

And the search for puffins is always exciting. Delighted visitors returned to the centre reporting sightings around Bartlett Nab so we were able to radio the group and direct them to the exact spot. More reports came in about sighitings on the sea and these too were duly dispatched to the viewpoints as binoculars and scopes scoured the ledges, terraces and the waves.

And once seen, a puffin is never forgotten.

Puffin Patrols head out from the visitor centre every Tuesday and Saturday at 11am and 2pm and they run until mid July (although the breeding season has started about three weeks later than we expected, so the puffins may hang around longer than usual. It they do, we'll keep the patrols going while they're here.) The cost is £3 for non-members and £1.50 for RSPB members. To book, call 01262 851179.

The patrol is 'briefed' by reserve manager Keith Clarkson, assisted by John Witty.

The patrol sets out for the cliff tops.

Got a puffin question? Get the answer from our volunteers.

Keep your eyes peeled - there are puffins out there.

Hedging on the edge

Maria Prchlik — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:30:00 GMT

The cries of the seabirds at RSPB Bempton Cliffs were almost drowned out by the squeals from back ache last week as work extending hedging on the reserve got underway.

The hedgerow running alongside the main path from the visitor centre down to the cliffs has been boosted by the addition of 55 metres of new shrubs – approximately the length of an Olympic swimming pool.

275 individual plants – Hawthorn, Buckthorn and Blackthorn – were dug in by RSPB staff with the help of Ian Reeves, associate of Castle Howard Nurseries near York, as part of Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship grant.

Since the 2^ndWorld War, many more hedgerows have been destroyed than have been planted. In some parts of the country almost half the hedgerows, once such a distinctive feature of the English landscape, have disappeared.

Assistant Warden, David Aitken, is thrilled to be bucking this trend:

‘It feels great to be putting some back traditional boundary material and in doing so giving wildlife an additional home on the reserve.’

Hedges not only provide shelter for many small mammals, insects and birds, they are also like a larder for many species, offering a bountiful supply of food.

David added:

‘The shrubs selected should attract dunnocks and reed buntings as well as migrants such as sedgewarblers and white throats. When they are in flower then the bees will really be buzzing around them too. And come winter, they’ll be hardy enough to withstand the brutal weather that can sometimes blow in from the sea’.

Assistant Warden, David Aitken, at the end of a hard day.

Three weeks later, leaves are opening.

Wildlife Explorers out and about

Maria Prchlik — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:30:00 GMT

We're always happy to hear what our local Wildlife Explorers group has been up to. Leader Margaret Boyd told us about their latest outing:

RSPB East Yorkshire Junior Wildlife Explorers had their first visit to the Living Seas Centre at South Landing Flamborough last weekend. The weather was glorious for the group this time, after the March meeting had to be postponed due to strong winds. The group met at the Living Seas Centre and were greeted by Yorkshre Wildlife Trust staff volunteers. The group set off to follow the nature and sculpture trail, with the first "spot" of the day being three deer making their way through the woods.

There was a good view through the trees, as the leaves had not started to grow yet, although new buds waiting for warmer weather were clear to see. After a nature treasure hunt at the picnic area, and great views of Bridlington Bay from the cliffs, the group took the steps down to the beach for the next activity ... a beach art competition. Birds, fish,and other sealife were created from objects found on the beach and the winner was the fantastic puffin pictured below.

Heading back to the Centre there were pheasants to be seen foraging in the undergrowth. The last activity was a choice of crafts - making crabs, lobsters, or window mounted sealife pictures - which rounded off a perfect day.

If you know someone between 5 and 12 years old who loves nature and would like to join in the fun, here's what the group will be up to for the rest of the spring and the summer:

Saturday 11^th May 10am – 12noon Cayton Carrs Wetlands, Cayton, Nr. Scarborough

Friday 17^th May 6.30 pm – 8pm RSPB Reserve, Bempton Cliffs

Friday 14^th June 6.30 pm-8pm Priory Churchyard, Bridlington

Saturday 22^nd June, 10am – 12noon Filey Dams, Filey

Friday 5^th July, 6.30pm – 8pm Boynton Woods, Boynton, Nr. Bridlington

Saturday 13^th July 10am -12noon Top Hill Low Nature Reserve, Watton, Nr. Driffield

To find out more, call Margaret on 01904 532827.

The group take a break for a Kodak moment.

The winning beach art puffin

Fun and games at the Funny Onion

Maria Prchlik — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:39:00 GMT

The brains of Bempton were out in force last night for a fund-raising quiz at the Funny Onion pub in Bridlington. And they proved that the BBC's top quizzers, Eggheads, have nothing to worry about.

With questions ranging from a bizarre picture round on ‘Famous people’s hairstyles’ to more straightforward ‘What’s the capital of Panama’ type questions, there was much pencil chewing and head scratching going on.

And with proceeds from a raffle and a percentage of profits from the bar takings going to the reserve, we’re hoping the money raised is higher than the winning team’s points total.

Thanks go to Kim for rallying the troops and the Funny Onion for their hospitality, organising the quiz…and not laughing at our answers.

Reserve Administrator Kim and the girls.

Volunteer Sam, Visitor Services Manager Scott and volunteer Tom.

Friend-of-a-friend Mike ponders a tough question.

The luckiest puffin alive?

Maria Prchlik — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:00:00 GMT

What would you do to save a puffin? How about getting up at 3am to give it food? Or taking it home to nurse?

These are the kind of lengths Linda Walker and Paul King of the Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary and Wildlife Centre have gone to in order to get one puffin, literally, back on its feet.

They discovered a living puffin amongst dozens of dead birds washed up on the stretch of coast between Donna Nook and Anderby Creek at the end of March.

Linda said, 'He was exhausted when we found him and so weak that it took him six days just to be able to stand up'.

He survival was due to much TLC on Linda's part. When he first arrived at the sanctuary, he was given a drink of glucose mixed with water to restore his strength and then placed on a heat pad for an hour to get warm. He was then hand fed with small fish until he was able to eat from a dish.

To ensure he had round-the-clock care, Linda even took him home and he spent a few nights in her spare room in a cage next to the radiator - giving the bedroom a lovely fishy pong.

And just as with any invalid, food played an important part in the recovery process. Late night feeds at 10pm and early morning ones at 5am meant there were some very bleary eyed members of staff. Linda also got up for a 3am feed during the early days.

The result was one fighting fit puffin raring to get back to sea. And handful of lucky visitors were delighted to witness his release and get the chance to come face-to-face with a puffin.

Linda and Paul will return with other rescued seabirds for release over the coming weeks. Nothing could make us happier than to see them fly off from the viewing platforms.

Find out more about Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary and Wildlife Centre at www.thesealsanctuary.co.uk

Paul from Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary hands the puffin to RSPB volunteer, Allan Dawson

Allan and the lucky puffin

We have lift off!

This isn't an ordinary beach clean up...

Maria Prchlik — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:05:00 GMT

M & S staff are taking a break from the High Street this week and encouraging folk around the country to get involved in cleaning up their local beach.

Naturally, as huge M&S fans (we wouldn't buy our underwear anywhere else) we felt we should lend a hand...or even, six.

Our local Big Beach Clean-Up started at 10am on a stretch of the coast between Bridlington and Flambrough with around 30 people volunteering to pick up litter, debris and even tyres from the rocks.

Overall, the event managed to collect almost a third of a ton of rubbish in around an hour and a half.

And the Bempton Cliffs threesome managed to lug around 2.5 stones up Sewerby Steps to the cliff tops.

Here we are setting off...and below are some of our most interesting finds:

The shooty-bit from a plastic gun

A rubber octopus

A Wilson golf ball