The RSPB Bempton Cliffs column with Ivan Nethercoat: Seabird count accuracy improved by drone use
It’s peak seabird season here at RSPB Bempton, Guillemot chicks are launching themselves off the cliff to join a parent below; puffin chicks are also getting bigger in their holes in the chalk and will soon leave to finish their growth at sea.
Gannets and kittiwakes will still be here for several weeks, but the puffins, razorbills and guillemots will mostly be away to sea by mid-July.
We have around half a million birds on the cliffs at RSPB Bempton, Flamborough and Filey, but how do we know?
Staff and volunteers have been counting the occupied nests of gannets, guillemots and kittiwakes along our stretch of coast. This year we’ve also used a drone (under license) to improve the accuracy of the data. Last year, in a successful trial of drone use we recorded 19,000 pairs of gannets. We’ll see if numbers increase.
If you come to one of our amazing platforms in the next few weeks, you’ll get amazing views of birds and the cliffs, but you may also be aware of someone quietly looking at the birds and then referring to a photograph and clip board.
This will be one of our people quietly monitoring the seabirds throughout the breeding season. Please don’t ask them questions or disturb them but know that they are collecting data for serious science that helps our knowledge and therefore conservation of our seabirds. When was the first egg laid, the first chick, when was the last to leave?
With the possibility of more hot weather on the way, you can help our birds and wildlife too. Whether a bird bath, a puddle or the edges of a pond, look out for birds such as woodpigeons, blackbirds, starlings and robins paddling or splashing about. Shaking the water through their feathers helps to keep them cool and clean too.
If you put out a bird bath, or container on the ground for hedgehogs it’s best to replace the water daily and make sure you give it a thorough clean once a week. This can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
If you want to see the best of Bempton Cliffs we have lots of stuff going on from photography workshops, guided walks, Hire a Seabird Guide, craft sessions and RSPB cruises on the Yorkshire Belle, take a look at our website and scroll down to the events pages for more info. www.rspb.org.uk/bemptoncliffs