Welton NEWS June 2021, Issue 265

BEMPTON CLIFFS

Now that we can get out and about more there are lots of interesting places nearby to visit. A couple of hours drive away is Cliffs, situated just north of . If you like nature and walking it makes for an interesting day out. It is run by the RSPB, which has a centre there. Entrance is free for RSPB members, otherwise there is a charge.

The cliffs are some of the highest chalk cliffs in at around 300 feet. They are hard chalk which gives some resistance to erosion and the crevices are ideal for nesting birds. The area is known for its breeding seabirds, including the northern gannet, the Atlantic puffin, the razorbill, the common guillemot, the black legged kittiwake and the fulmar. The very knowledgeable RSPB volunteers will help you identify the various species and point them out to you. There are a series of lookout points spread over about 1ΒΌ miles and normally at this time of year there is a volunteer at each station.

The cliffs are home to the only breeding colony of gannets in England and at this time of year they are building nests ready to breed. The couples guard their nests fiercely. The young grow so large that when they first leave the nest they cannot fly. They jump down from the nest into the sea and float around for about 10 days before they can fly off. Four year old gannets come back to Bempton and fly along the cliffs; then return the following year to breed. It is interesting to see the gannets, and others, pulling grass from the top of the cliffs to use for nesting.

Welton NEWS June 2021, Issue 265

All the birds need to feed and also to gather food for their young so, as you can imagine, it is a wondrous sight to see them all flying around. How they find their way back to their own precarious crevice is a wonder in itself.

As I said earlier, the area is good for walking. The footpath along the top of the cliffs is about six miles long and runs from Head north towards .

I hope my photos give you a taste of what you can see in the area.

Jim Blainey