RSPB Bempton: Seabird Dramas Unfold on Cliffs | Yorkshire, England | Wild Travel | Robert E Fuller

Date Filmed: Spring - Summer 2023

This is RSPB Bempton Cliffs and it’s one of my favourite places to visit. Here, I can watch gannets vie for the best nest sites, razorbills lay eggs on precarious cliff faces and kittiwakes’ welcome tiny fluffy chicks. I’ll be following the wildlife through the changing seasons and meeting up with the RSPB to see how they monitor their progress here.

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*ABOUT THIS FILM*
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RSPB Bempton Cliffs

This is RSPB Bempton Cliffs and it’s one of my favourite places to visit. It’s located on the Yorkshire coast and is a renowned seabird haven. Spectacular chalk cliffs house thousands of nesting seabirds, including puffins, guillemots, gannets, and razorbills.

Spring

Spring has arrived, and with that, the seabirds are back. It’s known as ‘seabird city’ and it’s the largest mainland sea bird colony in the UK. Around half a million birds gather here between March and October to breed and nest on these towering chalk cliffs.

And this is my favourite part of the reserve, Staple Newk. It’s a spectacular chalk arch jutting out into the sea. I can spend hours here watching the seabirds all swirling around in great masses. And it’s the best place to watch the gannets.

Gannets

Gannets have a distinctive courtship ritual, tapping their bills together and preening. They mate for life and return to the same nest site each year to renew their bond. But space is at a premium here which sometimes causes conflict. Quite often the females are guarding the nest and the males are collecting nesting material with some cheekily stealing from unguarded nests.

Razorbills

Also on the ledges are razorbills, with their distinctive black and white plumage and thick black beak. This is a courting pair in what’s known as the 'ecstatic' pose, where one bird raises its beak, while its mate preens its throat. These birds are monogamous, pairing up with the same partner for life. Razorbills lay a single egg once a year, often right on the cliff edge.

Puffins

With the sun going down, I get a glimpse of one of the birds this area is famous for - puffins. I’ve got some puffins flying now! Look at that, they’re just landed right on the edge of the cliff. Look at them, so inquisitive, I just love puffins.

Meeting Poppy from the RSPB

It’s mid-June and the breeding season is in full swing. I’m here to meet Poppy from the RSPB find out how they monitor the birds here. Poppy and the team record new eggs and chicks on the nests to check productivity rates. The information gathered by Poppy and the RSPB team helps them understand any changes in the population. But thankfully each person only has a small area of cliff to study.

Guillemot Chicks

I spot a guillemot with a little chick underneath it. It's a very precarious little life for these chicks living on these little rock ledges. This chick will stay with its mum until it’s about 3 weeks old when it will leap from the cliffs into the water.

*ABOUT ME*
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.

You may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here!

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*CHAPTERS*
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00:00 Yorkshire’s Wild Coast
00:34 RSPB Bempton Cliffs
01:38 Gannets Courtship Rituals
02:02 Cliffside Chaos
02:30 Gannet Nest Building
03:06 Razorbill Romance
03:51 Puffins!
04:40 Summer at Bempton Cliffs
04:53 RSPB Monitoring
06:53 Guillemot Chicks
07:43 Gannets With Young
07:53 Wildlife Thriving

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© Robert E Fuller

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#robertefuller #rspb #gannets #puffins #guillemots #kittiwakes #razorbills

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