Bempton Cliffs
Bempton Cliffs are a section of precipitous coast at Bempton in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as a nature reserve and is known for its breeding seabirds, including northern gannet, Atlantic puffin, razorbill, common guillemot, black-legged kittiwake and fulmar. There is a visitor centre.[1]
The cliffs at Bempton are some of the highest chalk cliffs in Yorkshire, or indeed anywhere south of the Highlands, albeit beaten by Beachy Head in Sussex.
Location
- Location map: 54°8’46"N, 0°9’37"W
- Streetmap: TA201738
The hard chalk cliffs at Bempton rise are relatively resistant to erosion and offer many sheltered headlands and crevices for nesting birds. The cliffs run about six miles from Flamborough Head north towards Filey and are over 300 feet high at points.
The area administered by the RSPB also includes Buckton Cliffs.[2]
There are good walkways along the top of the cliffs and several well fenced and protected observation points.
Gannets
Bempton Cliffs is one of only two mainland breeding colony of gannets in the United Kingdom - the other being Troup Head in Banffshire.[3] The birds arrive at the colony from January and leave in August and September.
Kittiwakes
Numerically the most common bird, around 10% of the United Kingdom population of kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) nest here.
Puffins
The Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) at Bempton Cliffs tend to nest in rock crevices, whereas burrows are used at most sites in Britain. Although there are estimated to be around 958 birds (450 breeding pairs), it is relatively difficult to get a close view of them.[4] The puffins along the Yorkshire coast are now endangered.
The Bempton puffins mostly fly 25 miles east to the Dogger Bank to feed. Their numbers may however be adversely affected by a recent reduction in local sand eel numbers.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bempton Cliffs) |
- Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve
- Information Britain entry
- Walks around Bempton Cliffs
- Yorkshire Coast Nature
References
- ↑ "Bempton Cliffs: revamped seabird centre opens". BBC News. 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-32173894. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- ↑ "Find Walks Bridlington Area". http://walkingtheriding.eastriding.gov.uk/find-walks/bridlington-area/?entryid30=36462. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ↑ RSPB: Gannet
- ↑ "Puffins ‘gone from Yorkshire coast in 10 years’" (in en). Yorkshire Post. 29 October 2015. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/puffins-gone-from-yorkshire-coast-in-10-years-1-7542521. Retrieved 6 April 2017.