In my A to Z of Birding in Britain, B is for…

Bempton Cliffs.

RSPB Bempton Cliffs is a rather windswept but very interesting reserve perched on cliffs along the Flamborough Headland Heritage Coast.

Not for the faint-hearted, RSPB Bempton Cliffs has several viewpoints where you can peer over the edge of the cliffs and scan for kittiwake, fulmar, guillemot, razorbill and puffin, as well as marvel at those aerobatic masters – the gannets! Four of the six viewpoints are accessible for wheelchairs, with wheelchair bays and thoughtfully-positioned handrails for unobstructed views.

Rising over 330ft above the waves, the vertiginous cliffs are the perfect spot for getting up close to one of our greatest British seabird colonies. Bempton Cliffs hold 10% of the UK population of kittiwakes, and the cliffs also hold Britain’s only mainland breeding colony of gannets. Having such a great vantage point to observe gannets in flight, my husband made an interesting comparison to the aeronautic manoeuvrability of fighter aircraft, saying “they must have been looking at a gannet when they designed the F-15!”

After watching the gannets diving, turning and making such precise alterations to flight when coming in to land, we wondered if the engineers responsible for fast jet aircraft design were also birdwatchers, inspired by the masterful aerial displays of gannets along the coasts.

Avian evolution has surely answered all the technical challenges of aerodynamic stability – lift, drag, yaw, whatever else is required to manoeuvre an aircraft at high speed – so I’m convinced that aircraft designers must be birdwatchers too!

RSPB Bempton Cliffs also has a large meadow area backing away from the cliffs, and here you might find butterflies and day-flying moths, and wild flowers, such as the common-spotted, northern marsh and pyramidal orchids. Benches provide ideal picnic spots where you can still see the gannets as they fly up and down along the cliff edge.

Hedgerows alongside the visitor centre provide welcome shelter for small birds, and an excellent spot to look for tree sparrow while sampling the delicious locally-made ice cream! Farmland birds such as skylark, corn bunting and linnet are commonly seen here and, in winter, short-eared owls can be seen quartering the meadows.

Bempton Cliffs is also a great location for migrating birds to stop off on their way in or out of the country. Red-backed shrike, barred and icterine warblers are reported almost annually, as well as redstart, wheatear, fieldfare, redwing and ring ouzel. Peregrine and shag are here and, if you’re lucky, you may spot porpoise in the water from the cliff-top viewing platforms.

All-in-all, RSPB Bempton Cliffs is well worth a visit if you’re in or near the East Riding of Yorkshire – but make sure you take a head for heights…and maybe postpone your visit if you’ve just splashed out on an expensive coiffure!