Shropshire Star

In Pictures: Cliffs come alive with nesting seabirds

Bempton Cliffs are home to species including gannets, puffins and herring gulls.

Published
Last updated
A puffin nests at the RSPB nature reserve at Bempton Cliff

More than 250,000 seabirds have flocked to the chalk cliffs at Bempton in East Yorkshire to find a mate and raise their young.

From April to August Bempton Cliffs, which are home to the largest kittiwake colony in mainland Britain, come alive with nest-building adults and young chicks.

Species nesting in the cliffs also include gannets, puffins and herring gulls.

Bempton Cliffs
Gannets nest at the RSPB nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs. The birds arrive at their colonies from January, and leave between August and September, according to the RSPB (Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
Puffins also nest at Bempton. Adult puffins arrive back at the breeding colony in March and April and leave in mid-August, the RSPB says (Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
A herring gull and chick (Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
The sun rises above the RSPB nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs (Danny Lawson/PA)
Bempton Cliffs
(Danny Lawson/PA)
Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.