Kittiwake Colony — Bempton Cliffs
Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast holds England's only mainland gannet colony and its largest seabird city, with over 200,000 birds of twelve species nesting on 120-metre chalk sea cliffs between April and August in a cacophony of sound and motion that overwhelms every sense simultaneously. The black-legged kittiwakes for which Bempton is most famous arrive in their thousands, their distinctive 'kittiwake!' calls creating a wall of sound audible from 500 metres, while gannets dive-bomb the sea below and guillemots pack ledges shoulder-to-shoulder in densities exceeding 70 birds per metre. RSPB viewing platforms along the cliff top bring visitors within ten metres of nesting birds at eye level — an intimacy with large seabirds rarely possible without a boat. Puffins arrive in late April, razorbills occupy narrow ledges, and fulmars patrol the cliff face on stiff wings. The white chalk cliffs below a cloudless June sky, the constant traffic of birds between sea and cliff face, and the sheer concentrated noise of a functioning seabird metropolis makes Bempton one of England's most thrilling wildlife experiences per square metre.
About this spectacle
Standing at the RSPB viewing platforms atop Bempton's 120-metre chalk cliffs, visitors are engulfed in an extraordinary sensory assault. Thousands of black-legged kittiwakes fill the air with their insistent, name-saying calls — a living wall of sound audible half a kilometre away. Gannets plunge into the North Sea below in arrow-straight dives while guillemots pack every ledge in dense, jostling rows. In late April, puffins appear among the throng, their vivid bills catching the morning light. Razorbills claim narrow crevices, fulmars glide effortlessly on stiff wings, and the constant cross-traffic of birds between sea and cliff creates an almost vertiginous sense of motion. The platforms bring you within ten metres of nesting birds at eye level — an intimacy rarely achieved without a boat. Between April and August, the white chalk face is never still; birds land, squabble, feed chicks, and launch themselves back over the North Sea in continuous rotation. On a clear June morning, with the chalk gleaming and every ledge alive with birds, Bempton is one of Britain's most overwhelming and joyful wildlife encounters.
When to go
Apr — Aug, peak May — Jul
Getting there
Nearest airport: LBA. Nearest city: Hull.
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