The RSPB Bempton Cliffs column with Ivan Nethercoat
Storm Dave has been making his presence felt but the birds are carrying on as normal.
Over Easter the puffins, guillemots and razorbills decided to go out to sea leaving the cliffs to the gannets and kittiwakes but they’ll soon be back and as the season progresses they all become more obvious.
One of the beauties of RSPB Bempton is that the weather is a key feature of the place, wild seas and stormy skies give dramatic views and can be exhilarating to see from the viewpoints.
Previous storms and wet weather have forced the closure of one of the most impressive viewpoints, Grandstand, but we have plans to bring it back better than ever and you can help by visiting our Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/bemptonview.
Elsewhere on the reserve birds are getting busy and we are seeing the first summer migrants starting to appear.
We eagerly await our first swallows to the visitor centre where last year six pairs nested, seemingly oblivious to people just a few metres away and finding plenty of insects above the grassland we maintain for wildlife.
House martins are passing by; chiffchaffs call in the bushes and blackcaps will soon be in full voice joining the already vocal blackbirds and song thrushes. Spring has definitely sprung here.
Your gardens can also be a busy place with blackbirds and robins already well underway with nest building, especially taking the dried grass and leaves from the patches of the garden we didn’t tidy up too much and soft mud from the edges of the pond.
So regardless of the weather, if you want to see spring in action, need that hard to find gift, a new pair of binoculars or just coffee and cake in a unique place come up and see us but if you want to get the most from a visit here sign up for one of our puffin and gannet walks or just keep an eye on our events on the website where you’ll also find details of photography and art workshops and of course our special Seabird Cruises on the Yorkshire Belle rspb.org.uk/bemptoncliffs.